The Revenge of the Cupboard Snoggers
by MaypleCstl
Summary: The Marauders are tired of Lily's constant interruption of their midnight activity with the girls. That is, until they find out Lily's Secret. Then it's time for blackmail. "Revenge is an ugly word. We'd like to call it- getting even" JL. AU. RR!
1. A midnight rendezvous

**Summery: The Marauders are tired of Lily's constant interruption of their midnight activity with the girls. Until they find out Lily's Secret. Then it's time for blackmail. JL. AU**

Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize belongs to the magnificent J. K. Rowling. My only object is to have fun. Especially with the Marauders (minus Peter). Yum.

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><p>The Revenge of the Cupboard Snoggers<p>

by: MaypleCstl

Chapter 1

_**A Midnight Rendezvous**_

I walked down the torch-lit corridors of the Hogwarts castle as quietly as I possibly could. It wasn't precisely easy. I developed over the years of being a Gryffindor house prefect the ability to sneak up on people till I was almost a breath away behind their backs. As a Muggle-born child, I adored the detective shows on TV and I practiced the walking heel-after-toe during night rounds twice a week.

It was pretty fun. And trust me, it's best to squeeze any drop of entertainment in the dead of the night when your only companion is either a sulky partner or Filch's creepy cat.

It helped me especially to catch people out of bed after curfew. It's not that I_ like _removing points from houses and giving detentions (well, maybe only the Slytherins), but it does give a pleasant diversion. I even made a mental list of the usual sneakers.

Fine. So I'm getting bored while doing my duty. Go on and hex me if you like.

You want to know what the funny thing is? I never managed to catch one of the Marauders before. Godlike gorgeous, smart and head full of pranks, they even have their own _fanclub _at school. Girls swoon at their feet, boys want to be included in their club, blah blah blah.

Girls in my year might think I'm sort sort of a snob, but really- how could you fancy someone who thinks that knocking two Slytherin' heads one against the other is a big Ha-Ha Joke?

I experienced too often one of their Ha-Ha Pranks, to tell the truth. Mostly during rounds.

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><p><strong>10 Ways On How To Know When You Just Missed The Marauders:<strong>

1. When the floor beneath your feet is suddenly too slippery and you start to do pirouettes without your ice skates until you fall on your ass.

2. When you find the next morning in the Gryffindor common room a full- sized picture of yourself falling on your ass.(Again. And again. And again. _And again...)_

3. When suits of armor grab you to dance the polka with them. For two hours.

4. When you follow a shaggy over-enthusiastic black dog through the whole bloody school and then find yourself somehow locked outside the castle.

5. When a yellow and pink frilly nightgown suddenly comes floating out of thin air and wraps itself around you.

6. When you face a livid professor Mcgonagall and you realize the frilly nightgown belongs to her.

7. When you find yourself floating next to the candles in the Great Hall and each counter-spell makes you float higher.

8. When you get locked in the girls' bathroom on second floor with Moaning Mirtle.

9. When you get stuck on the moving staircases which suddenly picks up speed and starts to resemble a Muggle roller-coaster.

10. When you start to see multiple hallucinations of two famous Marauders in every hall, room and cupboard. All naked. And all saying: "Greeting Evans. A bit chilly tonight, no?"

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><p>So you might expect when I turned around the corridor, that I was a bit apprehensive when I heard some noise coming out of the nearest cupboard.<p>

I leaned against its door and stared down at my shoes with a sigh.

Nice and somber black shoes, I thought absentmindedly, very comfortable. Needed a little cleaning around the edges. I started to tap them softly against the floor. The couple behind the closed door didn't pay attention.

I was very tired.

This was my last year at Hogwarts, I was Head Girl, it was near one in the morning, and some inconsiderable couple apparently found that snogging between dirty buckets and mops in a space barely able to contain one body, not to mention two, was extremely stimulating.

How romantic.

I walked back to the start of the corridor, turned and started stomping my feet loudly against the floor while whistling out of tune till I returned back to the cupboard. I leaned in to hear.

Cursing and soft rustling reached my ears.

Satisfied, I turned on my heels and hid behind a wall.

I watched as the doors of the cupboard opened and two disheveled figures stepped outside. They combed with their fingers their blond hair before the girl grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him after her, without even bothering to look behind her.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open.

_Alice and Frank?_

Alice was one of my closest friends in the dorm. Blessed with golden locks and pleasant temper she was one of those people who managed to befriend so easily with everyone. She was dating now Frank Longbottom who was also a seventh year Gryffindor. You could always catch them doing homework together or just talking on one of the sofas.

But _never_, in a million years, would I've imagined these two sneaking after hours for a mouth-to-mouth activity in a less than comfy space.

Must be the hormones.

Who would've known?

"What a surprise" a voice mirrored my thoughts as an arm was thrown around my shoulders.

I froze.

Oh no.

I recognized that voice too well.

"Longbottom and Tailor breaking a precious rule" I heard the laughing note in the idiot's voice and my shoulder received a slight squeeze. "Just don't faint on us from shock, Evans"

I looked up into the smirking face of Sirius Black.

His black hair fell over mocking gray eyes. It was tied, like now, in the back of his neck with a simple black ribbon.

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><p><strong>Profile of Sirius Black<strong>

**Color of Hair**: Black

**Color of Eyes**: Grey

**Occupation in his free time**: Beater in the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

**Famous**: Nasty Ha-Ha Pranks. Amazing kisser in small and uncomfortable spaces.

**Rumors:** Once said to be able to be in two dates in two different places at once.

**Popularity:** Very high (I once witnessed a cat-fight amongst the girls. The winner got to ask Sirius out)

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><p>"The thing I don't understand" said another voice calmly, "Is what Evans doing at this hour"<p>

My head jerked to the front and my eyes widened.

With my still open mouth I probably resembled a flapping fish out of water.

Oh, Merlin's beard.

Someone please save me.

James Potter, Idiot number 2 and Git number 1, smiled amusingly and gently closed my mouth shut with the tip of his wand beneath my chin.

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><p><strong>Profile of James Potter<strong>

**Color of Hair**: Black. Very messy.

**Color of Eyes**: Hazel

**Occupation in his free time**: Captain and Chaser in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Head Boy, too.

**Famous**: Funny Ha-Ha Pranks. Also an amazing kisser.

**Rumors:** Said to be able to read a girl's mind.

**Popularity:** High

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><p>How could Potter have stood in front of me all this time and I hadn't even noticed?<p>

"What?" I asked defensively when they both continued to look at me.

"This isn't your turn to do the rounds. I should know. You glued the schedule to my forehead and ordered me to memorize it"

I gulped nervously, my cheeks burning like they were on fire.

Shit, shit, shit! This was why having a Marauder as a Head Boy was such a problem. Honestly, what Dumbledore was thinking?

"I'm sure she has a valid reason" called a tired voice next to me.

I jumped. Merlin! Would they quit doing that? At this rate I would be a bundle of jumping nerves!

The third Marauder, who was not, by their usual standards, an Idiot or a Git, (and of whom, thankfully, I didn't see a naked illusion running around wild) was leaning against the wall and was watching me with a kind smile.

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><p><strong>Profile of Remus Lupin<strong>

**Color of Hair**: Sandy

**Color of Eyes**: Blue

**Occupation in his free time**: Making sure the other Marauders won't go over their heads.

**Famous**: Clever Ha-Ha Pranks. Amazing kisser. (Seriously, what's up with Marauders and their ability to kiss?)

**Rumors:** Surprisingly a heart-breaker. And only because he refuses to date. (Apparently that doesn't stop him from achieving the point above)

**Popularity:** High

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><p>"You think so? Let's do a list then. You love lists, Evans. I'm sure you'll appreciate it" Potter started pacing slowly, not waiting for my response, and tapping the tip of his wand against his lips. "Point number one: it's one in the morning, and the rounds were finished an hour ago. Padfoot? I'll need your opinion"<p>

"Maybe she got lost in the halls for an hour" Sirius said (and in danger of me sounding extremely cliché) _seriously_. I tried to shrug his arm from my shoulder but he wouldn't budge and just sent me a melting smile with gleaming white teeth. "After _two years_ of patrolling the corridors. It could happen to anyone"

He was in danger of rising in my _own_ personal list to the level of Blockhead number 1.

"Possible, possible" Potter nodded. "Point number two: after seeing the _appalling_ behavior of her best friend and her boyfriend, Evans did not make her presence known and in fact warned her friend of her approach. Without even knowing that it was Tailor and Longbottom from the beginning"

"Even stuck-up goody-two-shoes like Evans may bend the rules for the sake of a friendship, If she doesn't want to end all alone, raising fifty owls in a hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest"

They both ignored my sound of protest at the words "stuck-up" and "goody-two-shoes" and continued on.

Now the one thing I most, most hate and despise, is when people are talking about me over my head as if I'm not standing there in front of their eyes! And those two bloody Marauders knew it too well.

Aarrghh! Why me? And why tonight of all nights?

"Point number three" at this Potter stopped and looked down at my clothes before meeting my eyes with a lopsided grin on his face. "Evans, why are you going around still wearing your pajamas?"

I bit my bottom lip and did my best try. "Erm... sleep-walking?"

Unfortunately, my face immediately heated up like always whenever I'm lying.

Potter raised one eyebrow and then looked down pointedly at my feet. "I see that even at sleep you never forget to wear and tie your shoes"

I averted my eyes to stare at the floor. Anything but meet their inquiring gazes. Damn for inheriting too pale skin from my mother. It was constantly uncomfortable to be caught lying and have my face match my red hair till I looked like an overripe tomato.

Hm. They really should rewash the floor. There were faint traces of mud here and there.

"Really, Evans. You have nothing to be shy about around us" Black said and pinched my chin, making me jerk my head back. "By the way you act, we might suspect you had a midnight rendezvous"

Both he and Potter broke into smothered long laughter.

I was too busy concentrating on my feet to respond.

_Hello, floor. Long time no see. Would you be so kind as to open up and let me fall into oblivious?_

Their laughter slowly died to be replaced with stunned silence.

I wondered how long would they be able to keep it up. Let's start counting, shall we? One. Two. Three. Fo-

"Not a chance" Potter said slowly in astonishment. "No way in hell that our straight "O", with the sickly-good behavior, prissy _Head Girl_, would sneak out of dorms to meet a boy"

Black broke from his trance and laughed loudly despite the danger of them being caught by a professor. "Who is it? I want to meet and shake his hand. To having able to reduce the Head Girl to a state of normal girly behavior must be a feat to be acknowledged by the whole school!"

"Sshh, Padfoot!" Remus said, looking around to make sure they were still alone.

"Relax, Moony. No one is coming" said Potter. When I finally managed to gather some courage and look up, his eyes caught mine and I recognized there an emotion I didn't like. At all.

Triumph.

"Let's go, mates" he said, smiling. Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear "Goodnight, Evans. Catch some sleep" he lowered his voice slightly further and added something only I could hear. His warm breath sent goosebumps down my spine and arms and made my toes curl in my shoes.

Then all three disappeared, leaving me nervously gulping and wondering what will happen the coming morning.

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><p><strong>How To Tell When You're In Trouble<strong>

1. When you get caught after hours by the Marauders.

2. When your seven-year reputation lies in the hands of unpredictable boys.

3. When those boys have some grudge against you for dodging points from their house and giving detentions to their girlfriends.

(Side Note: Just because you never catch the Marauders doesn't mean the girls they were with them are as smart or as experienced in disappearing from sight)

4. When you can be sure that your mistake will cost you dearly for the last of the school year, because the Marauders have a point of settling open payback debts.

5. When one of the Marauders whispers to you: " Goodnight, Evans. Catch some sleep. Because I don't think that for the next few weeks you'll be able to close an eye"

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><p><strong>AN: So, what did you think? It's actually my first story I make in first person, and I keep wanting to switch to third person all the time.**

**If I made any slip, let me know, OK?**

**Please Review!**

**I'd love to hear what you thought.**

**I kicked Peter out of my story because I had nothing to do with him, so I have only the good-looking Marauders to play around :) how fun!**


	2. Beware of the Pink and Fluffy

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, not even the bunny-slippers.

Chapter 2

**_Beware of the Pink and Fluffy_**

_Something came up. I'm sorry but I won't be able to see you for a short while. I'll let you know about next week._

**Trouble?**

_More like three of them. Again- sorry._

**If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I'll keep Tuesday night free in case you change your mind.**

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><p><em>Potter,<em>

_We have a meeting tonight with Prof. Mcgonagall. Don't forget._

_**Evans,**_

_**It's six in the bloody morning. Go kiss a Whomping Willow. **_

_**ps. Tell your blasted pet to stop pecking me awake or I'll serve you an owl-pudding for breakfast.**_

_Touch Poppy and I'll use a shrinking spell randomly on parts of your body!_

_**How original. **_

_Jackass._

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><p>Three days have passed. Three long, nerve-wrecking, nail-biting, mind-distracting days. As Potter so smugly predicted, I didn't get much sleep for the last couple of nights. The insomnia drove me to such a state, that I found myself falling asleep at classes.<p>

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><p><strong>How to recognize the signs that you're not getting enough sleep at night<strong>

1. When the side of your upper body is covered with blue bruises from all the times your neighbor to the table shoved his elbow to your ribcage to wake you up. (Thank you, Viola)

2. When you limp after class, because Neighbor no.2, who saw the success of the method applied by Neighbor no.1, decided to approach the matter in a different direction and spent the last hour and a half kicking you under the table. (Thank you, Alice)

3. When you see a frightening image of a death-pale banshee with blood-shot eyes and messy hair and it takes you twenty seconds to realize you're looking in a mirror.

4. When _La Belle_ and the Giggling Duo making snide remarks about you while sitting a table behind you at Charms, and accidentally you send all the exercise pillows to smother them.

5. When you sit in History of Magic, the only official class that was declared by the students to be the best remedy for lost sleep-hours, and you're the only one unable to fall asleep because any minute now you expect to be poked by rude elbows or have your toes crushed by heavy footwear. (Really big thanks, guys. You're the BFFs any girl would wish for.)

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><p>By the third day I was so tired and jumpy, I didn't give a damn if Black and Potter announced to the whole school that they caught me dancing in my underwear in the Great Hall while burning voodoo dolls. Funny thing is, the moment I stopped caring a miracle happened-<p>

My brain started functioning again.

_Let's put things in proportion, _it said, _what in fact did the Marauders found out?_

They caught me sneaking after hours

Presumed from my reaction I met a boy

They now believe I'm a big hypocrite.

I was so caught up in the terrifying thought of what they'll do if they found out what really is going on that I forgot that, technically, they didn't know the whole story and they didn't have any proof to any theory. Unfortunately, the little they _did_ know may cause me problems. At least I knew Potter well enough to know that no force in Hogwarts will stop him from uncovering my secret, if he truly wished it.

Still...

I sat early morning at the breakfast table, eating toast with jam and making mental lists of con's and pro's.

After that unfortunate night, the Marauders treated me as usual, that is, _ignored_ me a usual. No remarks, no innuendos, no I-Know-What-You-Did-That-Night looks.

Hope blossomed in my chest.

"The mail is here" Viola slid to the seat next to mine already in the middle of piling her plate with scrambled eggs.

Viola is my other closest friend at Hogwarts. She has short brown curls and dark brown eyes and she's playing a Chaser in Gryffindor's Quidditch team. Unfortunately, she believes that the Marauders are a bunch of great guys and she's on very friendly terms with them. Out of pity, she refrains from mentioning them too much in the radius of my hearing, but she's still too bewildered why me and the Marauders could not get along.

As she mentioned the mail, I raised my head to watch the flock of owls flying towards the house tables. Poppy, my own brown-red owl landed on my shoulder and stretched its leg toward me so I'll be able to unwrap the letter attached to it.

I scanned the letter quickly. "Mom and dad will be out of town. I guess I'm spending Christmas here after all"

"Lily?"

"Hm?"

"There's another one for you" the caution in Viola's tone made me glance up suspiciously.

A large gray owl was sitting patiently on top of a large square box. A familiar looking owl.

My poor bloom of hope suddenly had a short and brutal death.

"Well?"Viola asked, noticing my stillness. "Aren't you going to open it?"

"Can you read from whom it's from?" I pointed with my chin towards the attached card, making sure that no body part of mine was any close to the box.

Viola shot me a weird look before picking up the slip of paper. She stared at it for a moment with an unreadable expression before raising surprised eyes at me. "It's from James-"

At once I slid as far away as possible and pulled out my wand. "Stand back! It's going to explode!"

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><p><strong>How to graciously accept a gift from the Marauders<strong>

1 (and only rule). You Never, Ever, Under Any Circumstances Agree To Receive A Present From The Marauders.

If by chance it got opened- please levitate the offending object to the nearest trash can and run away _very, very fast._

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><p>"Don't be ridiculous, it won't explode" despite her dismissing tone, I noticed she lifted the lid of the box with the tips of her fingers. Gingerly we both peered inside.<p>

It was pink.

It had ears.

And it was very, very _fluffy_.

"Lily?" Viola asked confusedly, "why would James send you a pair of bunny-slippers?"

I snatched the card from her hands and opened it.

_**Evans.**_

_**Can't come to the meeting tonight. Cover for me. Send Minnie my regards.**_

_**P.**_

Who does he thing he is?

I turned the card over and furiously wrote on the back:

_Potter._

_Don't make me laugh._

_What makes you think I'll help you?_

I tied it back to the still waiting owl. The response was dropped in my cereal a few minutes later.

_**Evans,**_

_**Don't be a nag. **_

_**Didn't you like my gift? I thought it will go splendidly with your pajamas.**_

_**Or should we go and ask Minnie's opinion?**_

"How on earth does he know how your pajamas look like?" Viola looked over my shoulder with a frown. "Lily?" she poked me in the ribs. "Are you alright?"

I took a gulp of air, my brain buzzing from trying to comprehend the situation.

"How _dare_ he? The git is actually _blackmailing_ me!"

"How can he blackmail you with a pair of slippers?"

"Morning" Alice took a seat in front of us and stretched her arms above her head. "Oh, how adorable!" she called noticing the bunny-slippers resting in the shoebox. "Who's the secret admirer?"

"James" Viola answered before I had a chance to open my mouth. "Lily believes it's his way of getting what he wants from her against her will. If he'll send her next a giant teddy bear, we can logically take it as a declaration of war"

I snorted as they both laughed. "It's not the slippers! It's the meaning _behind_ the slippers. He simply states that if I won't do as he pleases he'll go and tell Mcgonagall that he caught me doing you-know-what!"

"What you-know-what?" Alice asked confusedly.

"I think I know what she means. It's the you-know-what she's been doing with you-know-who in you-know-where for who-knows-how long"

"I'm confused" Alice sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's too early for You-Know riddles. And how come you let Potter find out? _We're_ your best friends and you refused to tell us the gossip"

"Three days ago they found me sneaking back to bed after I finished... what I did" I said lamely.

"Ooh, that's sounds so dirty" laughed Viola.

I gave her an annoyed look and continued. "At least they don't know all the WH's answers"

"Apparently that doesn't stop Potter. But why wait three days?"

"Waiting for a good opportunity? He likes to see me squirm? Because he's a sadist? All three?" I shrugged. "Take your pick"

Alice picked one slipper and turned it in different direction. "At least Potter has a good taste in footwear"

There was a pleasant tinkling laughter above my shoulder. "James bought you these? Aaawww _que bonbon_. Do they come with a matching night cap?"

"_La Belle_" muttered my friends in disgust.

Great. My morning just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

The seventeen-year-old Ravenclaw leaned her palms against the wooden table and smirked down at the box. "Is this some sort of a consolation prize? For being such a sad and dull _créature? _All books, and no fun" Janet sighed dramatically, putting one manicured hand over her heart. "You poor thing"

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><p><strong>Profile of Janet Blanc<strong>

**Color of Hair**: Black

**Color of Eyes**: Blue

**Occupation in her free time**: Being a pain in the ass. Mostly hanging around the Marauders.

**Famous**: The most beautiful girl in seventh year. Nicknamed _La Belle_ by the students. Has the annoying habit of slipping french words in her sentences because it makes her sound more_ exotique_.

**Rumors:** Very rich.

**Popularity:** High among the boys.

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><p>Janet's smile widened at my silence. It was a well-known fact that I never retaliated to verbal provocations. In all honesty I found it boring. What was I? A five-year-old? If you want to pick a fight with me, name the place and your seconds and I'll send Filch to hang you by your toes in the dungeons for the rest of the night.<p>

I frowned as I realized that there truly _was_ a silence.

Where were the drum-rolls? The applause? The scattered petals in front of Janet? The ass-kissing? But most importantly where was the goddamn _giggling_?

I exchanged a bemused look with my friends. "Where did you put away your Gigglers?" I finally asked.

"It's amazing how _sad and dull_ you sound without the tittering at your background" added Viola.

It took Janet a few moments to realize about whom we were talking about. Her mouth tightened. "Anne and Riley are none of your _problème__" _she said haughtily.

"You're right" I said, standing up and putting the shoebox under my arm. "I have problems of my own to handle. _Au revoir"_

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><p><strong>Profile of Anne Crossfield<strong>

**Color of Hair**: Light brown

**Color of Eyes**: Brown

**Occupation in her free time**: Giggling. Trailing after Janet.

**Famous**: Vocal-high giggles. Best school gossiper.

**Rumors: **Drunk a giggling potion in first-year. The after-affects have still not worn off.

**Popularity:** Have a constant giggle sound in your right ear for seven years. How many points of popularity will you give her?

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><p><strong>Profile of Riley Brown<strong>

**Color of Hair**: Brown

**Color of Eyes**: Hazel

**Occupation in her free time**: Giggling. Trailing after Janet.

**Famous**: Vocal-deep giggles. Second best school gossiper.

**Rumors: **Got caught in the after-affects of Anne. Giggling even while snogging in cupboards.

**Popularity:** Still thinking...

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><p>Instead of breaking my head with possibilities and counter-possibilities, I gathered my courage and went to look for the only one who could answer my questions truthfully. As expected, I found him in the library twenty minutes before the start of the classes.<p>

"May I sit?"

"Be my guest" Remus indicated the chair in front of him.

When Remus is not around the other Marauders you actually realize he's a decent guy. And much politer than the other two. On occasion we got to be partners in Charms and potions and it didn't take us long to become... friendly acquaintances.

"I want a straight answer, Remus" I opened the shoebox and put it in front of him. "What is this?"

He looked inside, blinked slowly once and said, "Pink bunny-shaped slippers"

"I know what it _is_, I just want to know if I should be careful around them or not. It was send with compliments from your friend Potter. What I want to know is if by chance I'll turn my back to it, will it jump and bite me on the ass?"

The corners of his lips quirked upwards. "No, It won't. I promise"

"You're completely positive?"

"My word as a Marauder"

"Mmm" I watched him more closely. As I noticed three days ago at the unfortunate night, he looked more exhausted lately with dark circles beneath his eyes as if he didn't get a good night sleep for the past century. "Going to visit your mother soon?" I asked gently.

He gave me a long look before responding. "Tonight, actually"

"Well, when you'll be back, I want to revise my notes with you, if you don't mind. There are a few topics which I think you'll be able to make them clearer for me"

It was a lie and we both knew it, but for propriety sake he just smiled slightly and agreed. I knew he hated when people took pity on him, at least the ones who knew about his condition. I guessed that being a teenage and a werewolf was a tiring combination to handle in a good day.

"One word of warning Lily" he suddenly said when I got up to my feet. "Prongs is just the beginning. You still have to handle Sirius as well"

"Oh, what is up with these two! It's not like we're doing anything wrong!"

"We?" Remus repeated softly.

Oh, damn.

It was near one o'clock in the morning and I couldn't fall asleep. Again.

It really is tiring when your brain doesn't stop thinking for five whole minutes. I breathed a sigh of defeat before I got up from the bed, grabbed my potion book and my wand and went down to the common room. I figured that if I can't fall asleep I might try to go ahead with my studies. Reaching the last step, I froze.

On the couch in front of the fireplace, was sprawled a long body, clearly fast asleep. I tiptoed in my new pink slippers till I was leaning against the back of the couch. Beneath me lay Potter with his glasses lying crookedly on his nose, one hand buried in his messy hair and looking like any minute now he'll fall down on the floor.

Sighing inwardly, I slowly removed his glasses and summoned a blanket to cover him. Tucking the edges securely around him, I took a moment to observe him. Who might be able to guess that behind that handsome, peaceful face lay a bullying toerag, with a preference for vengeance and the most womanizing arch-rival I've ever had in my life? Shaking my head I summoned a new piece of parchment and a quill.

_Potter,_

_Mcgonagall sends her regards for the unfortunate accident that prevented you from attending the meeting._

_And congratulations, you're now responsible for the theme and music for the Christmas party that will be in a month._

_ps. You should probably do something about your snoring problem._

_E._

I charmed the note before bending down to glue it to his forehead. My slippers somehow slipped against the floor and with a squeal I tumbled forward and landed on top of Potter.

_Snap!_

I turned my head towards the flash of light.

Black sat on the bottom steps of the staircase leading to the boy's dormitory, holding in one hand a camera and in the other flapping back and forth a small picture. He smirked at my horrified expression. "One picture is worth a thousand ways Evans will try to get it back" he stood up and winked at me. "I'll see you tomorrow to discuss negotiations"

Only after he disappeared inside I noticed the body that was shifting beneath mine. Turning my head, I met wakeful hazel eyes that were regarding me coolly. Potter raised his eyebrows in question. "Enjoying yourself, Evans?"

I screamed.

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><p><strong>AN: Poor Lily. She really doesn't have a very good day.**

**Anyway, hope you liked it!**

**Please R&R! It only takes 20 seconds just to press that review button and write a word ;)**

**See you in next chapter!**

_**Mhairi D: **_**Actually I wanted to start James and Lily's relationship by having them dislike each other. I didn't want to follow the usual storyline. It's much more fun this way.**


	3. My Enemy In Shining Armor

Chapter 3

_**My Enemy I**__**n Shining Armour**_

Potter winced, whether from my scream or from my elbows that were digging painfully in his stomach, I didn't know, nor cared. This was honestly getting ridiculous. First the hallway, then the slippers, the lovely landing on top of Potter and now the photo! My hands tried to heave myself off the Head Boy and even through the cover I threw over him I could feel the shape of his torso and abdomen.

Dear Merlin, were those his _muscles_? Oh wow... damn it, focus!

It didn't make sense. The more I struggled, the more I got entangled with the cover. It was like struggling with a Devil's snare. Potter watched my useless struggles with his usual stupid smirking expression which only made me more flustered than before. He shouldn't be able to sneer so perfectly with a charmed parchment glued to his forehead, but he managed it. That was Potter for you- a sneering perfectionist.

"As much as I find it rather charming to have you throw yourself on top of me, I would really appreciate it if you got off of me now. You're crushing my ribs"

I planted my elbows on said ribs to make sure they were crushed properly and glared at him. "I'm trying, if you haven't noticed. How about you give me a hand?"

* * *

><p><strong>How a Marauder can successfully remove a girl that is currently lying on top of him<strong>

1. He can ask politely.

2. He can levitate her with a floating charm.

3. He can grab her arms and then rudely throw her off of him in the direction of the floor.

* * *

><p>I let out a squeal as I landed on my bottom on the common room's carpet. "Potter!"<p>

I should stop squealing if this falling thing will become an unwelcome habit. My voice won't be able to hold on for long with this kind of abuse I'm putting it through.

"What? You asked for a hand and I gave it to you" He leaned on his side, his chin propped on the palm of his hand. He pulled the note off his forehead and skimmed the contest. "Productive meeting, I see. And stop gluing reminders on my face, it's getting annoying"

I brushed my hair off my eyes with my fingers. "How else am I suppose to make you pay attention to your Head's duties?"

He leaned forward until his nose nearly brushed my cheek and murmured "I'm sure you can find another way"

I started at his proximity, but then noticed that his eyes were not looking at my face but down. With me sitting on the floor so close to him and with his advantaged added height, I realized he could see down my shirt.

And in all the confusion I forgot that I wasn't wearing my bra.

I gasped and clutched the fabric to my chest.

That- that- that-... unbelievable!

"Pervert!"

Potter sighed. Was that disappointment?

"Relax, Evans. I didn't see" he stood up and flashed a cocky grin. "Much, anyway". He caught the blanket before it slid to the floor. He rubbed the material between thumb and forefinger and shot me an unreadable look.

I felt heat creep up my cheeks at his gaze, but I didn't know why. It's not like I did anything wrong It was just a civil gesture. It's not in my nature to leave a person lying on a couch, and to have him wake up, freezing. I was used to do this for Petunia, each time she returned home drunk, for Merlin's sake.

Don't get funny ideas, I wanted to tell him.

Only he didn't make any snide/stupid remark and just dragged his feet towards the staircase with the blanket held tightly in his hand.

"For the record" I called from my spot on the floor. "I didn't _jump_ on you"

He threw me his famous lopsided grin over his shoulder and said "Only now, I have a picture claiming otherwise"

* * *

><p><span>This is the list Evans must complete for the rest of the year if she wants to obtain a certain picture and the Marauders' silence.<span>

1. Evans will not dodge points and/or give detention if she sees/ hears/ smells/ tastes/ touches/ senses with any sixth or seventh sense unknown to Witchcraft and Wizardry, a prank that is thought of and executed by a member/s of the Marauders.

2. Evans will not dodge points and/or give detention to any girl/s who's found in the company of a member/s of the Marauders. _(And I do mean __**any**__ girl. But don't worry, we'll be generous and minimize the orgies to our dormitory)_

3. Evans will not dodge points and/or give detention if she sees any member/s of the Marauders busy with a girl in the hallway/ Gryffindor's common room/ the boy's dormitory/ cupboard and any other public and/or private place. _(In other words Evans, if you see us with a girl in a classroom, and I don't care if we're humping like bunnies on the professor's desk, you get a sudden attack of blindness and amnesia and march on to your own damn business) _

4. Evans will not dodge points and/or give detention to any student under the Gryffindor's house, no matter what he's done. _(We're trying to win the House Cup this year, be a sport) _

5. Evans will help the Marauders to avoid any embarrassing and/or compromising situations with the Hogwarts' professors, Dumbledore, Filch and his cat.

6. Evans will let Prongs (known as James Potter) have all his evenings free and stop pestering him about Head's duties during breaks, beginning and end of the classes, weekends, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and middle of the night snacks.

7. Evans will refrain from rolling her eyes, respond with sarcastic remarks, make stupid faces and generally be an unpleasant person in the rare chance she's in the company of any member/s of the Marauders. And no more composed lists about us (_We know what you do behind our backs)_

8. The Marauders keep the right to add verbal and/or written points to said agreement.

9. If said agreement is violated by Evans till the end of the school year with a gesture, a word and/or a charm, the Marauders reserve the right to publish and expose every dirty secret that is known or will be known in the future of Evans' private life by the Marauders, to the public.

10. If Evans breaks all the rules of the above till New Year's time, she'll do a strip show in the Great Hall in the coming Christmas party.

_Signed,_

_The Honorable and the Great Looking Sirius Black_

* * *

><p>"He's kidding, right?" I held the parchment with the tips of my fingers, rereading the absurd demands. "I'm not making any "<em>stupid faces"<em> in their company!" I had an intelligent face. Ask anyone. It's my green eyes, you see. They're the windows to my transparent _smart and knowledgeable_ mind. I can't make stupid faces even if I tried. Not in my genes.

Idiot Black,

"Do you even know how to strip dance?" Alice asked, nibbling on the end of her quill.

The dungeon we used for Potions' class was nearly empty, except Severus Snape, a Slytherin boy who sat in the back of the classroom. He was too polite or too uninterested in gossip to actually eavesdrop on us, so I used the opportunity to show Alice the blackmail note I received at lunch today by the hands of none other than Sirius Black. Viola didn't have Potions with us, and besides, she already had the chance to pick herself off the floor at lunch break with a severe stomachache from laughing so hard for ten minutes without a pause.

She found the list hilarious. I found it insulting.

To give Potter a break from his Head duties? Why won't he just return his badge to Dumbledore and leave me with all the work?

"Of course I don't! Besides, I doubt Black will be able to hang a pole in the middle of the dance floor without anyone noticing"

Alice's eyes started to tear from suppressed laughter. "There was that one lesson, though. Remember you told us?"

I flushed. "That was last summer, in Petunia's bachelorette party. Which, I must add, I was forced to go by Mom's orders. Honestly, who invites a pole-dancer in this sort of events? It's usually a stripper. Preferably a male, too"

The rest of the class, Gryffindors and Slytherins, entered the dungeon at the moment, although not together but in groups of three and four, throwing each other dirty looks, their hands resting on their wands. It was charming really, you could almost feel the fondness that lived between the houses. They reminded me of cranky cowboys with too many bullets in their guns and with the urge to empty them in the nearest body. I watched them warily from the corner of the eye in case of trouble which I'll have to interfere.

Nothing. This time.

They all settled down as professor Slughorn entered the class with his usual cheerful round expression. "All right, students! Pairs only, today. We're making the Repressive-Regressive potion today, a challenge! Ain't it wonderful?" when he met with only mutters of despair and groans from his class, he only beamed and started pointing at the students. "'Right then- Johnes and Malfoy, Gefferson and Tailor, Black and Potter, Evans and Snape..." he went on until all the students started to shuffle their things and move to a selected shared cauldron. I picked up my books and moved to the cauldron Severus was occupying alone.

"Hello" I mumbled, opening the textbook in the page for today's potion lesson.

Severus nodded his head in response, but didn't look at me. He was slightly taller than me with black hair that reached his shoulder and black eyes that usually either looked cold, scornful or like now, bored.

"Do you know this potion?" I tried again.

He finally looked at me, the boredom transfers somewhat to a quizzical look. "Don't you?"

I gulped and nodded a bit hesitatingly. The boy was brilliant in anything that was connected to potions. No matter how tough, challenging or impossible to follow the instructions, he always managed to produce a perfect result. I envied him a bit in this point.

"All right, then" he said and pulled my textbook in his direction. "I'll read and you'll put the ingredients. Let's see how well it'll work out" he didn't sound optimistic of the final result. I sent him a reproachful look which he pretended he didn't see and started to read. Forty minutes later I looked sceptically at the dirt-brown bubbling surface of the cauldron. It was not supposed to look like that.

"-after waiting the exact three minutes and sixteen seconds the surface should now have a transparent orange color with a slight brownish edge" my partner read patiently on. He glanced at the potion with raised eyebrows. "Add a dragon tear, turn the fire off and let the potion cool down for half an hour."

I added the tear. The surface turned to a deep shade of purple.

"Lovely" Severus muttered.

"All right class! Turn the fire off, your potion should be ready by now" called professor Slughorn.

I looked at my potion with growing panic. There was no way I'll present that to Slughorn. But I followed the recipe, what went wrong?

"Not bad Mister Potter, Mister Black. An 'E' for your work"

My eyes narrowed. And there is no way I'll receive a lower grade then _those_ two. There was only one possible solution to this problem.

"Save it" I said under my breath.

"Pardon?" Severus looked at me with confusion.

"The potion. Save it. I'll repay you with a double cheese-cake, cream cupcakes and a bloody bucket of special warm chocolate"

He looked at me, the corner of his mouth lifting in mockery. "'You want me to fix your own mistake by bribing with muggle-food?"

"Everything home-made" I saw the bulky shape of professor Slughorn slowly approaching. "I'll work harder in class. You won't have to lift a finger if we'll be paired again. I promise. Just this once" I looked him straight in the eyes, to show him how serious I am. "_Please_"

He contemplated it for a moment. "Home-made, huh?"

I smiled happily, already knowing his response. It really came in handy when you knew which buttons to push with some people. "All made with my own two hands"

"I just hope it'll taste and look better then this potion"

I was so excited I could barely contain the urge to playfully pull my tongue out at him. He was already busy cutting roots and adding drops from this flask and that. I held my breath as he sprinkled several leaves on the surface and tapped the cauldron twice with his wand.

"Done" he said.

The potion swirled a few times on its own and then settled down. It had now a clear orange-brownish color.

"You" I whispered admiringly. "Are a bloody _genius_"

He suppressed a smile.

"Miss Evans, mister Snape! Well done! You receive an 'O', as usual. Look class, at the right way to make the potion. Watch and learn, dear students!"

I saw Severus' usual poker mask slip on immediately. As I looked up I saw more than one hostile and dirty look thrown in my way. And not all were solemnly from Slytherin. My face was as expressionless as that of my partner. I didn't seek the approval or disapproval of my teachers. I just wanted a good grade. And I wasn't about to apologize for that to anyone, including my house.

"Well done miss mudblood" sneered a voice to my left. Slytherin. Typical. I ignored him. They'll get over it.

They didn't.

As the class ended and Slughorn and most of the Gryffindors left, a bunch of Slytherins surrounded our cauldron. In their front stood Lucius Malfoy. The guy was an obnoxious, muggle-born hater. I despised him enough not to bother to make a profile of him. It was pointless and a waste of good parchment.

"Look class" He imitated Slughorn's accent "The perfect way to make Repressive-Regressive potion. Let's all give a hand to our favorite _mudblood_" his friends snickered loudly, mock-clapping and calling things like: "Way to go, shoe-scum!" and "Your filthy mudblood parents must be so proud!"

"Think you're better than us, Mudblood?" Lucius sneered. "Just because that foolish muggle-lover made you Head Girl?"

"That is your headmaster, you're talking about, Malfoy" I responded coldly. "And I must admit there are some fair share of benefits in my position. Like dodging five points of each student that stands here for insulting a figure of authority. And I mean Dumbledore. I honestly do not care what you call me, because I _know_ I'm better than you. There's no need to compare grades to notice that"

I grabbed my wand tightly, the fury in Malfoy's eyes the only warning I needed.

"_Expelliarmus!"_

_"Impedimenta!"_

_"Defendo!" _two male voices yelled at once.

A thick invisible shield appeared around me. Malfoy's spell bounced harmlessly off it. Severus stood beside me with his wand raised, his mouth tight in an impatient line I recognized. Over his head I locked eyes with the second one who cast the shield charm.

James Potter.

His face was a mask of anticipation and eagerness.

Lovely. Just lovely. Now I owe him. I was in no mood to feel any gratitude. He wasn't doing it out of companion's concern. I knew him too well to believe that. The real reason was that...

"There's a party, and no one invited us?" smirked Black, pulling his wand as well and pointing it at the Slytherins. "Tut, tut. Now that's just rude"

...He wanted to pick up a fight with them.

Malfoy pointed his wand from my throat to Black's direction. If there was something he hated more than muggle-borns, it was the Marauders.

The fight started again. Spells and counter-spells bounced off the walls and other shield charms. Tables collapsed, vials exploded, voices rose in yells of pain when a spell hurt and in triumph when the jinx hit the target. It was a fight of fireworks and blood.

I pounded my fist against the shield. I possibly could disarm the shield if it was a normal kind. But a double charm from two top students? It was harder and it took longer and more strength of magic than I possessed.

Thankfully, it didn't take long. The Marauders were maybe fewer than the Slytherins, but they had nastier spells under their sleeves. I watched as Remus delivered a jinx to the Slytherin closest to me. His head suddenly enlarged to monstrous proportions and slammed to the floor, making his body jerk while his head spun fast on the floor; too heavy to lift and moving too fast to stop.

I covered my mouth with the palm of my hand.

Why did I thought that Remus was the _nicest_ of the lot?

Mad. They were all mad.

When it was really finally over only the Marauders, Severus and me were left in the classroom.

I was breathing hard, as if I was fighting all this time and not just standing stuck in one place, unable to help, unable to protest and unable to put anyone in detention.

Remus, Black and Potter pointed their wands at me and the next second the shield charm was lifted.

Black threw back his head and laughed. "Brilliant. Simply brilliant. You're most welcome, fair Evans" he bowed theatrically to me. "The Marauders, at your service"

Right. My knights in shining armor looked like they escaped from a good thrashing. They had all split lips, bleeding cuts on their faces and arms and Remus sported an angry red mark on his jaw which I had no doubt will swell later and turn purple. The thing that most angered me was that smug look in their eyes that said: Ha. We beat them again. The only thing that was missing was the thumping on the chest and the Tarzan yell.

Remus watched me with sudden concern, his pleased smile sliding off slowly as he noticed my shaking hands gathering my scattered books off the floor. "You all right, Lily? Did they hurt you? I thought we managed to handle them before they did any damage"

No damage? I wanted to laugh. Did he even noticed the classroom's state? It looked like someone let loose a hurricane inside. I shoved the books into my bag but something was in the way and I couldn't manage to put the last book inside. Cursing silentley, I turned the bag upside down and spilled everything on the table. Books, parchments, bottle of ink and quills landed in a messy heap.

"Lily? Are you sure you're alright?" Remus again. Why did he continued to talk? I was not bloody alright! I was angry, and a little scared of that display of hate and payback. They cursed each other with a genuine want to hurt one another. But most of all I was hurt, emotionally. What right did they have to prevent me from fighting? Just because I was a girl? Just because they didn't trust me enough to help? They didn't think I was tough enough to handle some idiot from Slytherin? On the top of the mess I found my essay for Transfiguration that was due for tomorrow. It was a difficult work, compressing everything we learned in the last three years and was calculated as a third of our final grade before the NEWT's exams. It took me whole three weeks of late-night study to finish. If I wasn't going to get an 'O' on this, I think I might just throw myself of the Astronomy tower. As I touched it, the written words which I worked hard and long, always buried under tall stacks of books, just to express them correctly, shifted and turned to a deep-crimson color and all spelled the same word:

_Mudblood._

Suddenly there was a stupid lump in my throat that didn't go away no matter how many times I swallowed.

"_Pack_" I half-heard Severus say beside me. All the books and parchments flew back and organized themselves neatly in my bag. Except what used to be my essay.

That was stupid, I raised my head to tell him that. I could have done it myself.

One of his eyes was swollen so badly he was unable to open it. His lip was cut deep and a trail of blood ran down his chin. But he still managed to look bored, as if he was used to fighting matches every day after lunch, like a pastime excersize. "Leave it" he said, referring to my essay. "I'll see if I can fix it"

I managed to give him a wobbling smile and slung the bag over my shoulder.

"Oi, Evans. Aren't you forgetting something?" called Black. He nudged Potter at his side. "How 'bout some 'thank you' for Prongsie here for saving your pretty neck?"

Only now I noticed that Potter was unusually quite, too busy looking between me and Severus, as if unable to solve a great mystery that suddenly sprang in front of his nose.

"Thank You" I said coolly.

His eyes narrowed at my tone and he focused all his attention on me. He looked surprisingly angry at something. "You're welcome" he bit out.

"Great"

"Fine"

"Fine"

I hesitated before I walked out of the class. "Thanks" I said softly and pointed my wand at Severus. "_Episkey"_

He blinked in surprise, suddenly able to see with both his eyes. He touched his now healed lip before nodding in response. "Don't forget" he said.

I won't. Everything home-made. And I'll even throw in a goddamn souffle.

* * *

><p>"Evans! Wait up!"<p>

I ignored the voice and continued to walk down the hall. An arm was suddenly flung over my shoulders and the person that the arm belonged to matched my stride easily. I shrugged the arm off my shoulder but it was returned to its position a moment later. "Hey, hey, hey. What's with the attitude and the long face? I thought we did great over there"

"Impossible, Black. You don't think. At least not through and to the end. That's usually what get's you and all that surrounds you in trouble" I snapped.

He looked taken aback for a moment before leaning forward and peering closely at my face. "Hey, you're no going to start crying, are you?" he asked softly. Then he straightened and cleared his throat. "Can't stand when girls start crying. Especially when they cling to you and later you look like you took a dip in the lake fully clothed"

He was a git. But he did manage to make me smile a little at the image he described.

But I was Evans and he was Black. And in our usual status quo he never tried to cheer me up and I never smiled at his silly Ha-Ha jokes.

So I just rolled my eyes at his comment.

He caught the gesture and pointed an accusing finger at me. "You just broke clause number seven! No eye-rolling in the presence of a member of the Marauders. But I'll let it slide this time around. Here" he dug at his back pocket and produced a half eaten bar of chocolate.

I looked at it sceptically. "You expect me to eat that?"

"It'll lift your mood. Don't worry" he broke a piece and put it in his mouth. "See? Is safe. You can have the rest if you want"

I took the bar and took a small bite. Immediately, a pleasant warmth spread to my limbs and I felt ridiculously happy for some reason. I took a bigger bite this time. "You're right. 'S'really good. What did you put inside it?"

"Nothing"

If I wasn't so busy looking at Sirius and munching on the delicious chocolate I might have noticed that the fingers resting on my shoulders twitched for a moment. As if crossing.

We slowed to a normal walking pace. "Anyway" Black started, "I wanted to talk to you about something"

"About what?" the warm feeling continued to linger. My head felt light, without worries, as if nothing could go wrong. My legs felt as if they could walk on air. But still... something was niggling at the back of my head. Something was missing. Something important. And if I won't find it, I won't be able to be whole again.

"About Prongs"

"Prongs?"

"Our beloved Head Boy, our classmate, James Potter"

"J-James?" funny, but I think it was the first time I actually called him by the first name and right now, for the life of me, I could not understand why I didn't do it before. It was such a pretty name. And it had such a ring to it. _James Potter_. My heart skipped a beat then started to beat faster.

_James Potter,_ It seemed to sing in longing.

"You know, you should have been nicer to him down there. He did, after all, saved you from a certain skip to the Hospital Wing"

Dismay washed over me, cooling the warmth down but not quite. Black was right. I was horrible to James just now. Simply horrible. Especially with all the trouble he went through. My mind recoiled at the memory of my behavior. What if he hated me because of this?

Panic suddenly seized me.

What if he chose to never speak to me again in my life?

I wouldn't be able to survive it. I knew it now. With a solid and unwavering certainty. God, how stupid have I been! Seven years of wasted possibilities. But I saw clearly now. There was only one man for me and there always will be. The only one who'll be able to fill this void, this... emptiness.

"I'll go now. To apologize" I frantically grabbed Black's sleeve. "Is he still in Potions' class?"

"Yes" Black grinned at me from ear to ear. "You go and do that, then. Apologize. But it might take some time for him to forgive you, so I suggest that you'll do something to please him"

"Anything!" _everything._

"Alright then. Go and look for him down there" a detached thought drifted in my head and whispered observantly that if Black's smirk won't stop growing it'll end up cutting his face in half. As an afterthought he added, "And send him a kiss from my part, will you?"

Just one? I'll give him _thousands._

There was definitely no doubt about it any longer.

I Loved James Potter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ahem. Review and I'll get you a spiked chocolate!**

**Guarenteed to make enemies fall in love!**

**No more food-fights!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters you recognize. **


	4. All Fair In Love And Pranks

Chapter 4

_**All Fair In Love And Pranks**_

It was a funny feeling, being in love. Like drinking too much champagne. All bubbly feeling inside and unexplained lightness as if I could start walking on clouds if I just chose to. Not to mention the tipsiness. I wanted to giggle at the thought. Tipsy from over-flowing love. I raced towards the dungeons, skipping steps and nearly twisting both my ankles at the same time. Excitement, despair and determination fought for control in my chest.

Would he still be there? Will I arrive on time?

My heart was beating fast and my breath came in shallow bursts as I ran through the door of the Potions' class and startled Severus while he was packing his things. I looked around frantically. We were utterly alone. Panic suddenly sprung and won the battle in my heart hands down.

"Lily? What-"

I grabbed the front of his school robes and shook him. "Where is he? _Where is he?"_

"Who?"

"James! When did he leave?"

"Since when do you refer to Potter by his first name?"

"Since... since right now. Who cares? Just tell me where did he go!" I was close to tears by now. "I can't leave another second to pass without telling him how I feel. Please, Sev"

Severus stared down at me for several agonizing moments. I was nearly jumping up and down on my toes from impatience. He grabbed my arms and forced me to the nearest chair. "I'll go look him up for you. Wait here, alright?"

I beamed. "Thank you, Sev"

He went to Slughorn's desk and returned with a flask filled with orange beverage. "Here. Drink this while you wait. It'll calm your nerves. You can't have Potter see you like this"

I didn't like the way he spat my darling's name. Like it was something disgusting, vile.

In two gulps I drained the flask, not even caring to know what he gave me. I was mentally preparing a long speech about how wrong Sev was in treating James this way. How James is simply the most amazing guy in the world, absolutely perfect in every way. From James's cute messy hair to his fantastic talent as a Quidditch player. From James's beautiful eyes to his top marks. From Potter's hard chest to his... to his...

The warm feeling of the past minutes ebbed away to be replaced with a sudden calm. I put my head, which suddenly felt too heavy for the rest of my body, in my hands and took long, shuddering breathes.

When I was sure I could carry my head and have the rest of my limbs function properly, I jumped from my seat and headed towards the professor's desk where eleven cauldrons with Repressive-Regresive potion stood on top of it. I was pulled back by the back of my robes.

"Any more in the next twenty-four hours and you'll spend the night at the hospital wing with a low-pulse and severe case of sleepiness"

My eyes still fixed on the cauldrons, I asked "And what if I'll have some side affects?"

"You won't. But is it a good time to ask you how in a space of fifteen minutes you managed to swallow an _Amarous?_"

I smiled mirthlessly. _Amarous_, the famous infatuation potion. It was banned three years ago in Hogwarts after all students from first to fourth year suddenly developed a deep fondness for Hogwarts and the classes. The girls hugged every single furniture and the boys raced each other to see who will be first in class and who will answer the most questions during the lesson. In the end, the professors complained that the over-enthusiastic students, although flattering with the interest they were showing, made teaching impossible with their suggestive gestures about "opening a book", "turning a page" and "dipping a quill inside the inkwell"

The Repressive-Regressive potion started to fade away as well. Although it wasn't the exact counter-potion, it served the purpose as well by neutralizing any foreign substance in your body, lowering your blood pressure and lessening the affect of your body's hormones. Taken in small measure, it served as a calming draught for a short time. Taken too much... well, it became problematic. But once the potion is gone from your system, everything becomes sharper- your mind, your senses and your emotions. Just like now. I once saw on muggle TV how a mountain who was supposedly sleeping for centuries suddenly burst with burning lava, dust and smoke, covering and destroying everything in the way. It mirrored exactly how I was feeling at the moment. Everything pent up, just ready for the right moment to explode.

"Give me a moment, will you? And I suggest you take cover"

* * *

><p><strong>How to successfully demolish an already destroyed classroom in thirty seconds<strong>

(Side Note: As a first safety rule, hide and/or protect any dear object which you prefer to go unharmed for the next half a minute. That done, surround yourself with as much breakable things as possible. Finally, cast a silence charm around the chamber.)

_Second 0-10:_ Find any remaining small objects intact, preferably of glass, that give a satisfactory shattering sound when they explode/ crash/ smash against the closest solid surface around you.

_Second 10-20:_ Re-break any broken furniture such as chairs and tables by sending them in mid-air one against the other at the same time. Make sure no piece of wood bigger than you're palm survives the collision.

_Second 20-30:_ Floor, walls and ceiling (in most cases) always stay intact. They make an excellent target for the more serious jinxes and hexes. You may indulge in the remaining ten seconds of anger release, by leashing out everything you know on vertical or horizontal solid charm-protected surface.

* * *

><p>Severus brushed dust from his shoulder as he emerged from behind the professor's desk, the only furniture that still stood on its legs. I may have destroyed my surroundings, but I was still a Head Girl. And Head Girls didn't destroy the professor's belongings or the work of her classmates which stood upon it. Besides, I didn't want to redo the task. I doubted Severus would agree to fix it a second time.<p>

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much. But not quite" I ran my hand through my hair to remove strands from my face, but the gesture reminded me too much of Potter and I hastily put my hand down.

"Quite a job you've done here" his eyes narrowed in speculation as he studied a long crack on the opposite wall which divided the surface almost in half. He murmured under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like: "Not sure it was a good idea to teach her that"

I pretended not to hear. "Poor house-elves"

"Trust me, they'll be thrilled. I doubt they saw such a mess in quite a time"

I frowned and nudged a piece of wood that used to be part of a furniture's leg (my memory was too hazy to recall which kind). "I only hope that Filch or Mrs. Norris won't decide to sniff around before they arrive"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. Best you go now and relax in your common room until dinner. You had a rough day as it is"

"Relax?" I half smiled at him. "Oh, no. This is just the beginning. I have a debt to settle" I subconsciously clenched and unclenched my hands at my side.

_Black,_ I thought,_ you're going __**down**__._

* * *

><p>So he thought it'll be funny to spike the chocolate and have me run merry circles around Potter, did he?<p>

I remember the profile I once wrote on Black. I personally noted that he was famous for Nasty Ha-Ha Pranks. Oh, well. He made his bed, now he'll have to lie in it. Except it's Black we're talking about, my brain added, he'll lie in any bed, made or unmade by him. Actually, if it involves a girl, he'll probably lie on any surface, in every position imaginable.

Well, he reaps what he sow. Except I doubt Black ever did any physical muggle-job. If it doesn't involve a wand, a broomstick or wears a skirt and high-heels, it won't hold Black's interest for long.

Argh. I need to find better expressions to use.

As I entered through the portrait-hole, luck finally favored me. In the common room, Black was sprawled on the longest couch with a fifth-year Hufflepuff girl on his lap. They were snogging each other as if their life depended on it. A few Gryffindors from younger years sat the farthest away from the couple as possible. It was well known that unless you had a death-wish, you were welcome to try and divert Black's attention to you.

I hesitated a foot from the busy couple. After all, the plan that I formed as I climbed for the second time from the dungeons involved a healthy measure of self-humiliation, which I wasn't too thrilled about. On the other hand, if it wasn't for Sev, I'll be now scouting the grounds for Gryffindor's Quidditch captain, like a love-sick puppy. And probably acting like one as well. What's a little humiliation in exchange for avoiding a much bigger one?

It's just a matter of confidence, I remembered the pole-dancer instructor from Petunia's bachelorette party say. There's nothing to be shy about. The moment that you believe you're sexy, you act and move accordingly. No one will doubt anything you want to represent yourself as.

_I'm sexy. _

I messed up my hair.

_I'm sexy._

I unbuttoned a button of my uniform's shirt, revealing a bit more cleavage.

_I'm sexy. And I'll have the pleasure of seeing Black's face as I wrap my hands around his throat and squeeze._

The image seduced a smile out of me. I put my hands on his shoulders and my thumbs went to the beck of his neck, caressing and half pressing lightly against the muscles. I felt him stiffen in surprise under my hands. Apparently no one ever gave him a massage while he was busy exploring the curves beneath another girl's shirt before. Here goes down another rumor...

I leaned close to his ear and said conversationally. "I know you said she's an easy one-time tumble, but you honestly didn't have to go to such lengths to try and make me jealous"

The girl squealed in outrage as she disengaged herself as quickly as humanly possible from Black's embrace, half-stumbling and half-falling on the floor with her haste. "You said _what_?" she called in outrage.

_SLAP!_

Oh, well done. I bit hard on my bottom lip to prevent myself from laughing. I admired girls who managed to leave red hand-prints on a boy's cheek. I didn't even feel too many conscious pricks. Black will probably end up snogging her again in the end of the day after he'll give her a melting smile and tell her some lie about crazy redhead stalkers

I slipped to the vacant space on Black's lap and curled against him like a kitten in need of heat. "Hello, Siri-love!" I squealed like a five year old who was just given her favorite ice-cream.

"What- Evans!" he recoiled in shock. He looked as if a boggart suddenly landed sitting on him. I didn't let it bother me.

_I'm sexy. And he's going to regret the day he met me._

"Of course, silly. Who else did you think?" I trailed a nail against his injured cheek and pouted. "Does it hurt? Would you like me to kiss it better?"

"No! I'd like you to get off- oh crap..." the last sentence came in a low growl and he gave an involuntary shudder as I raked my nails at his nape, just behind his left ear. Last year, Viola went out with Black. Thankfully, it was brief with no heartbreaks. Luckily for me, Viola spent every night for two whole weeks just talking about every single sensitive spot on her boyfriend's body (not including intimate parts) which made him hard, tickle, kiss you like crazy (her words), bark and in general, be a putty in your hands.

"You were saying?" I repeated the last action.

"I- yes... I mean, no. Wh-why are you here?" he seemed to have a hard job breathing.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. Tightly. "Why do you think? I've been looking for you for twenty-two minutes and sixteen seconds. Just to find you messing with that _girl_" he made a half chocked sound as my arms started to crush his windpipe. "But you won't cheat on me, right Siri-love?"

"Siri-love?" he looked affronted at the name. "What happened to Prongs?"

I blinked in innocence. "Who?"

"James! Love of your nonexistent life, man of your drea- Merlin, Evans! Stop doing that!"

I laughed. "Why would I want Potter? It's you I'm going to marry, after all. You're my _soul mate._ I realized it right after you left me in the hallway. Speaking of which" I switched to business-like tone. "I want a grand wedding of two hundred people_ at least_. What do you think about having our honey-moon in the Caribbeans? While we're there we can start working on giving my parents the grandchild they dreamed about for so long. After the first five, I think we can sit down and talk if we want another half a dozen or not. Which reminds me!" I added in cheerful malice "my father wishes to meet his future son-in-law. What do you think about this Hogsmead weekend?"

If Black looked pale before, he now looked utterly sick by the end of my ramble, each time getting a shade greener at the words "Wedding", "Grandchild" and "Future-son-in-low"

"Wait here" he commanded, tugging my arms free and pushing me into the sofa, before sprinting up the stairs as if all the Forbidden Forest's creatures were at his heels.

I stretched in satisfaction. I almost felt bad for the guy. Almost. Unfortunately, I didn't deem him scared enough of me yet, so I stood up and calmly followed up the stairs to the seventh year boy's dorm.

What can I say as I stepped inside the "holy" region of the opposite sex? It was similar to the dorm me and my friends shared, with only the slight difference that it was messier and smelled of mixed odors which I didn't have any inclination to figure out.

"Come out, come out wherever you are" I singsonged.

Silence.

No, wait.

The sound of a running shower reached my ears and I smiled. Ha. Nice try. But I knew that trick too well.

I tiptoed to the bathroom door just as the water stopped running. I opened the door a crack. Steam hit my face and I squinted at the silhouette of the figure with his back to me.

Merlin, it was nearly impossible to see anything.

I slipped inside, closed the door and locked it with a click loud enough for him to hear. Stepping closer, I had just a moment to admire silently the play of muscles on his back before he turned, wet black hair splattered over his eyes. I reacted before I developed second thoughts.

"My love, there you are!" I stood on tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

It felt like kissing a marble statue. Except marble statues probably never been this pleasantly warm. And wet. I wasn't satisfied, though. I wanted a reaction. Of any kind. Perhaps I should start describing the wedding gown I plan to wear. Maybe he'll start crying in distress when I'll reach the part about the frills. I pulled back and froze.

Oops. Wrong set of lips.

"Are you drunk?" a glasses- free Potter asked pleasantly, as if we were in the middle of one of the Head's meeting and not in his bathroom, with me plastered to his wet body and the only thing separates us are two inches between our noses and a towel.

I oh so slowly pulled my arms away and took a small step back.

Merlin, that did not just happen.

"Um..."

* * *

><p><span>Warning<span>: **Brain has encountered a critical problem and will restart the moment the object in front will put on some decent clothing.**

* * *

><p>"Prongs!"<p>

"What?" Potter called back, his eyes still locked on mine.

"I'm in trouble! Evans is in love with me!"

Potter's eyebrows rose in question. I pulled my wand out and pointed it at him. I placed a finger to my lips and shook my head silently.

Potter eyed the wand in disinterest. "Yeah, so?"

"What do you mean "yeah, so?"" Black's voice sounded closer. The handle of the door rattled, making me jump in fright. "I had to slip to the first-year's dorm to make sure she didn't follow me up here! In two minutes she chased away Chloe and started planning our future babies. Dammit! Open the goddamn door! I need to speak to you face-to face"

I shook my head violently, the wand pointing straight at his bare chest, mouthing "Don't!"

Honestly, why all the good plans always turned out worse than expected in the end? If Black sees me with Potter, he'll either think he's off the hook and that _Amarous_ finally kicked in properly or that something fishy was going on, if first I'm describing horror-rosy future together and in the next moment, I'm locked inside the bathroom with his best mate. Black has his faults but he's no idiot. With my luck, he'll probably have that blasted camera and this time "One picture, worth thousand words" will take on a whole new meaning.

My safety now lay in the hands of a Marauder against another Marauder.

Someone up there must have a deep grudge against me.

"Really?" Potter smirked at me. "Now that's interesting"

"No, it's not" Black banged against the door. "It was supposed to be you instead of me!"

I had the small satisfaction of seeing Potter's smile slid right off his face. "What?" he called sharply, finally breaking eye-contact and glaring at the closed door.

Black sighed and then there was a soft thump as if he bumped his head against the door. "I gave her the chocolate. I told her your name. It looked like it worked fine. Half an hour later, she's all over me, talking about meeting her _parents_"

"You gave her the spiked chocolate?"

Wow, I looked at him surprised. He really sounded angry.

"Have you any idea how much it cost me?" Potter yelled at the door.

I rolled my eyes. Of course. Smuggling illegal chocolate was an operation for only the cleverest minds

"I thought it would be fun" Black answered defensively. "No much harm done. It would've passed after a day or two. I thought you wanted peace and quiet from Evans for a change. She would've done anything to please you and would've stop pestering you about meetings"

Potter's gaze swung back to me and lowered. I realized in horror that the steam plastered my shirt to my body and the fabric became slightly transparent in places where it was met by Potter's wet skin earlier. I crossed my arms and blocked his view of my chest.

"Not my type" he stated flatly.

I glared silently back. I should not feel uncomfortable. I was not the one standing with only a towel wrapped around my hips.

Black sighed loudly. "Never mind, I'll go look for Moony. He'll know how to fix it. I'm taking the Marauder's map, in case Evans decides to pop out of a dark corner."

My ears stood to attention. The Marauder's map? What was that?

I listened as the dorm's room shut and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you getting out Evans, or do you prefer to stay for a free show?"

I snapped back to reality, blushing despite myself. "Don't flatter yourself. You don't have anything I haven't seen before. And in multiple versions" I said, unlocking and opening the door. I was referring of course, to that crazy night, where hallucinations of Black and Potter chased me all the way to Gryffindor tower. Of course, an illusion is one thing and reality is quite another...

"Oh, I remember" he chuckled to himself. "You ran away very fast, with your hands covering your eyes like some prudish missy. Slammed against two walls, a suit of armor and stepped on Mrs. Norris' tail. Simply hilarious. Especially when you tried not to take a peek" his hazel eyes narrowed suddenly. "Or do you refer to a different version completely? I did wonder what you were doing that night, after all, and with whom. Never thought you were that type of girl"

The remark didn't even deserve an answer. I slammed the door in his face.

* * *

><p>"That's the second time you owe me, Evans" he said five minutes later, exiting the bathroom fully clothed.<p>

"Put it on my account"

I was on my hands and knees, peering beneath what I figured was Black's bed. I've been searching for the Blackmail Picture, which Black took the night before, all the time Potter stayed outside the room. No luck so far. Except a Galleon.

Ha! finder's keepers.

"What are you doing _now_?"

"Looking for the picture of us on the couch. And you should give me a hand at least" I threw over my shoulder.

"Why?" he asked in amusement.

"Because" I stood up and rubbed my hands against my skirt. Who knew what kind of species grew up on this carpet? "If Sev-Black's potion didn't go wrong, I would be standing right now, dragging you to the altar. You should thank your lucky escape"

"You should work on your excuses, that one is pretty weak" he went to a suitcase lying next to the bed, pulled a gray sock and withdrew a folded picture before handing it to me.

I checked the picture to make sure it was the right one. Blimey, I didn't remember that our faces were so close at the time. I tapped the picture with my wand and set it on fire.

"Thank you" I eyed him warily. "You're oddly compliant with me, should I expect a prank in a few minutes?"

"No" he grinned, threw an arm around my sholders and walked me to the dorm's entrance door. "I adopted a new approach. I decided to collect favors. That way, when I'll need something you won't be able to refuse so easily" he leaned down until he was at my eye-level and said "Watch your step" before putting his hand on my shoulder and nearly throwing me outside.

* * *

><p>I slowly came back down again to the common room. It was now more crowded than before and I waved as I spotted Alice and Viola sitting on the rug. Now the only thing left to do was to wait for us to be alone, before I could tell them the whole story. Before I could take another step though, Remus popped in front of me, grabbed my arm and dragged me to the corner of the room, where Sirius was waiting with a fixed frown on his face.<p>

"Remus?" I asked in confusion as I was backed alone in the corner and the two boys blocked my view of the rest of the room.

"Here, drink this"

Remus tipped my chin back and something cool was poured down my throat. I coughed and pushed against his chest. "What on earth?"

He peered down worriedly at me. "Any change, Lily?"

"What?" I stared blankly at him.

Remus turned to glare at the Gryffindor next to him. "Honestly Padfoot, how much did you gave her to eat?"

"Only half a bar. Move over. Let me try now." Black moved a step forward and stared intently in my eyes.

The situation was really starting to make me uneasy. Especially when I didn't have any place to run to. I was wondering whether I'll be forced to curse them both to make my escape when Black grabbed my elbows, hauled me up against him and kissed me on my mouth.

In. The. Name. Of. Merlin's. Beard...

I held my breath and counted to twenty before he finally let me go. "Well?" he frowned. "Anything?"

A now familiar calm settled on me and I recalled Severus' words as if from a dream.

_Any more in the next twenty-four hours and you'll spend the night at the hospital wing with a low-pulse and severe case of sleepiness._

I was just given another drink of Repressive-Regressive in less than an hour.

"Ten points off Gryffindor" I blurted out.

"Clause number one" Black muttered absentmindedly. "Why?"

"For sending the Head Girl to the hospital wing" I mumbled before everything went black.

* * *

><p>Whisper, whisper, whisper...<p>

My eyelids felt heavy. I frowned in concentration before managing to crack one eye open.

Whisper, whisper, whis- "Lily! You're finally awake. How are you feeling?" in my narrow line of vision appeared the concerned faces of Alice and Viola. I mumbled something which ended in a wide yawn and a long stretch under the white covers.

"What did she say?" Viola asked Alice in a loud whisper.

"Ooh air uh hiaaaank" Alice repeated.

I giggled slightly and said much louder this time "I'm too tired to think. How long have I been here?"

"Just a couple of hours. It's already past dinner-time. Sirius and Remus brought you here after you fainted in the common room. Under strict instructions, we're allowed only a couple of minutes before we'll be chased out again. So what did you get yourself tangled up in now?" joked Viola.

I told them in short sentences everything that happened between the end of the Potions class up to the ambush of the Marauders in the common room, interrupting myself with wide yawns that nearly broke my jaw. I could barely keep my eyes open as I mumbled the last thing that occurred before I fainted.

"Well?" Alice asked me with a wide smile.

"Well what?"

"Who's the better kisser?" Viola asked. "You realize you managed something no girl in Hogwarts managed so far- to kiss two different Marauders in ten minutes! That leaves only Remus to complete the set"

I think I grimaced as I snuggled deeper under the blanket, but I wasn't sure. Knowing that my friends won't leave me alone until I give them an answer, no matter that I was in the hospital wing and the affects of the potion still hasn't wore off, I whispered a response. Their giggles and the whisper- whisper- whisper was the last thing I heard as I drifted back to sleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up a again to the sound of growling. I blinked and looked down towards the floor. A large shabby black dog stood next to my bed with its head low, fangs bared and a low menacing growl coming deep from in his chest. I followed the direction the hostility was focused at and found a tall Slytherin boy standing a few feet away with his wand out, staring coolly at the animal.<p>

"Sev!" I called with a tired smile.

"How do you feel?" he looked at me and took a step closer.

The growling became louder.

"Like I've been sleeping for far too long. You" I stretched my hand and put it on the dog's head. "Be quiet. He's a friend"

The moment I scratched behind his ears, the dog gave a pitiful whine and slumped his head next to my hand with his eyes half closed, his tail wagging madly and his tongue lolling out.

Severus sneered in disgust. "Pitiful. You know it?"

"I've seen him around while I was doing patrols. He's mischievous, albeit harmless" I rubbed my eyes in sudden tiredness. Fatigue took over me again. "Sorry" I sighed while the hospital wing went out of focus. "Can't... keep... eyes..."

* * *

><p>Warm and soft lips pressed gently against mine, drawing me from deep slumber to that place between full wakefulness and the edge of a dream. I opened my mouth, automatically giving access to be tasted and taste back. I almost forgot when I was last kissed so sweetly. The mouth above mine moved expertly, coercing a response first by softness and then becoming more demanding, more... sensual. With a flash of amused awareness I realized I was being seduced.<p>

Mmm. This was certainly an interesting way to wake up.

My hand ran through soft messy hair and I pulled the stranger's face closer. We finally broke apart and disappointingly I opened my eyes.

Potter smirked down at me. "So, you still think Padfoot is a better kisser than me?"

I gasped and sat bolt upright, my heart racing a mile in a minute. My hands clenched the covers in a tight grip and I looked around the quiet empty hospital wing. It was the middle of the night, judging from the told time by the grandfather clock which stood next to the entrance door.

There was no Potter.

And there was no kiss.

I suddenly realized that my fingers unconsciously pressed against my lips and I dropped my hand down.

A side affect of _Amarous_, I told myself sternly. Nothing else to it.

Besides, the kiss I stole from Potter earlier that day and the kiss that appeared in my dream were complete opposites. The former was like kissing a rock, or your eighty-year old great-aunt Mildred with all the passion in contained. The latter made my toes curl and my pulse raise and it left me with a want for more of the same kind.

I punched my pillow angrily, and pulled the covers over my head.

This is the last thing I needed to complete this horrendous day.

Having dreams- no, nightmares- about kissing James bloody Potter.

I never noticed the hospital wing's door swing open on its own and then close silently back.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Between calling Lily a doormat and having mixed reviews about Sirius, I figured I should hurry with having this chapter done before you all decided to unite with pitchforks and torches and go kick Sirius' ass.**

**He's seventeen, a little crazy, a Marauder and the farthest thing from an angel. And I didn't plan to describe him any other way. **

**I apologize if the scene of the last chapter offended some of you. It was all under the intention of Moving The Plot Forward.**

**So, review! I'd love to hear what you thought.**

**MaypelCstl**

Disclaimer: I don't own, or ever will own the Harry Potter series.


	5. The Science of Lying

Chapter 5

**The Science of Lying**

The day I finally got to leave the Hospital Wing did not come soon enough for me. Or for Madam Pomfrey, if to be more precise. _Two days_ I've been forced to endure prodding, smelly potions and useless questions.

* * *

><p><strong>How to respond to pointless questionsinstructions a minute before you're gaining back your freedom**

_"How do you feel?"-_

Crap. Like someone hit me over the head with one of Hagrid's home-made cakes.

_Or_

Better than yesterday. Much, much better than yesterday. I'll even do handsprings if you want me to prove it. Can I go now?

_"Repeat again how you ended up drinking two vials of a Repressive-Regressive potion?"-_

A lunatic thought it would be funny to make me fall for his best friend. He stopped laughing after I turned the tables on him.

(Side Note: mustn't forget to rub your palms and cackle evilly)

_Or_

It was an accident. School pressure and all that. I thought it'll be able to calm my nerves but I guess it did more than that. Ha-ha. Can I go now?

_"How often do you get these __**accidents**__?"-_

You mean before I was selected prefect and started landing people in detention and the Marauders started landing me in the middle of their pranks? Almost never. Except once in second year when I went crazy with a cotton candy...

_Or_

Well, we _are_ talking here about life in Hogwarts. Something is really wrong with you if you don't end up here every Monday and Thursday. Know what I mean...? Yeah, can I go now?

_"The results have improved, but you still need to come twice a day for a checkup for the next two weeks. Is that clear?"-_

No, I'm sorry. I must have been woolgathering for the last four-hundred and twenty six times you told me this. Would you be so kind to repeat that?

_Or_

Mmhhm. _Can I go now?_

_"Also, you might experience signs of bad temper and impatience for the next few days. These are normal side effects for having slept for so long. Do not be alarmed" (a pointed look in my direction) "I see it already started..."-_

I'm sorry, but did you just called me _cranky_?

_Or_

… So that means I can leave, right?

* * *

><p>I sat, finally, at the breakfast table in the Great Hall, feeling quite victorious. I could not run away quickly enough from that horrid hospital bed, and Madam Pomfrey could not kick me out fast enough for her liking. We reached a mutual patient-mediwitch impatience for one another. I take full responsibility for being a terrible patient for the whole duration of my stay.<p>

But honestly, I have exams coming up. I cannot lounge in bed all the time, sick or not.

"Lily! You're free!"

"No need to sound so disappointed" I teased as Alice and Viola slid to the empty seats on both my sides and sandwiched me with a quick group hug.

"How do you feel?" Viola asked, piling the pancakes on a plate as usual.

It was good to know that nothing drastic happened while I played a possum in bed. For some reason my stomach felt all tight and full of pixies when I was released to go this morning.

"Anxious. You have any idea how much I need to cover to keep in touch with the classes?"

They did. As my best-friends, they collected the homework of each day I missed. I now had the most alarming tower of two-day homework, assignments and papers to hand over, just waiting to swallow me up at the most convenient opportunity.

What fun.

As Alice took it upon herself to update me on the latest on dit, I settled back comfortably enjoying our morning routine; Viola with her food, Alice with her gossip and me with my morning to-do list.

* * *

><p><strong>The To-Do list of <strong>**today:**

1) Breakfast

2) Homework in History of Magic

3) Homework in Transfiguration

4) Homework in Herbology

5) Homework in Defense Against the Dark Arts

6) Lunch

7) Studying for Potions

8) Finishing the project for Astronomy

9) Begging on my knees, elbows and with forehead pressed to the ground for prof. McG. To let me resubmit my essay .

10) Make light night-snacks for

* * *

><p>"Making "Light night-snacks" for whom?" Black asked casually over my right shoulder before bending over and kissing my cheek.<p>

I jumped nearly a foot in my seat then turned to look at him with my hand over my poor bullied heart. The pixies in my stomach started a wild protest.

No more kisses.

_No more kisses!_

"Just checking" he winked at my horrified expression. "_You, _on the other hand" he pointed at Viola. "You and that big traitorous mouth of yours. _How could you tell her_?"

Viola managed to swallow her food before she started chocking on it. She wiped tears of mirth from the corner of her eyes then puckered her lips into a pout and batted her eyelashes in his direction. "But Siri-love, show me one girl you hooked up with that _doesn't_ know that you adore being rubbed behind your ears like a tabby kitten"

He caught her chin lightly then leaned down, coming almost nose-to-nose. "I'll never be a cat. And I bet I can make you feel bad for calling me that name"

Viola's pout turned into a knowing smile and she looked up at him beneath her lashes. "I bet I can make you cry when I'll beat you in one-on-one this afternoon"

"And I'll bet I'm going to puke in the next ten seconds if you guys won't shut up" Alice added cheerfully.

"What_ are _you doing here, Black?" I asked as he settled in front of me. "Except flirt with Viola, obviously"

"Well, you see this place?" he waved his fork in the air. "It's called The Great Hall. In the mornings, such as this, they serve a meal which is called breakfast..."

"I mean what are you doing in this side of the table and not in the middle. As usual. As you've done for the past seven years. With the rest of your blood-brothers. I'm sure you're all attached by the hip at this point"

"Nope" Black responded cheerfully, through a full mouth of bacon. He swallowed and added "It would be a little embarrassing for Regulus to acknowledge my existence after working so hard to ignore it"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Warning<strong>: Guilt-trap in front of you. Subtly put to distract from actually answering the question._

* * *

><p>"Remus and Potter. Your Brothers-in-Arms" I crossed my arms and gave him a pointed look. "Now again, what are you doing here?"<p>

"How come you only call Moony by his first name? Me and Prongs should have that privilege too" he raised my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. "Especially after what happened three days ago"

I stared at my arm in confusion.

Precisely _how_ did he manage to get possession of my hand, all of a sudden?

"At least he's got some table-manners" I retorted.

I pulled my hand.

Black's hold tightened.

Stupid smooth-tongued flirt...

"Thank you, Lily" Remus sat down to the left of Black. "And how are you feeling?"

"All healed, thanks" I shot him a quick smile before glaring at his friend. "Return my hand, Black. Now"

His hold was released so suddenly, I nearly fell backwards.

Black looked over his shoulder. "Ah, Prongsie, defender of damsels in distress. So nice of you to join us"

"G'morning" Potter yawned, tucking his wand back to his uniform pocket and flopping down on the other side of Black.

"You just ruined a very romantic moment between me and Evans. Shame on you!"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. So did Alice and Viola.

"Give it a rest, Sirius" sighed Remus. "You already sent the poor girl to the hospital. No need for her to get nauseous all over again"

"You're just jealous because you didn't get the chance to kiss her. Same as Jamsie because she declared that I was the better kisser"

"Maybe she had a change of heart in the last few days" Potter said calmly.

Our eyes locked briefly.

The pixies turned from protesting to dancing samba in my stomach.

_Did you kiss me that night? _

Such a simple question to ask.

A simple question which I didn't want to hear the answer to.

Two horrible options loomed before me:

* * *

><p><strong>Option A)<strong> He did. Result: I kissed Potter and I liked it.

**Option B)** He didn't. Result: I hallucinated that I was kissing Potter. Potter would think I feel something for him. I would live in embarrassment for the rest of the school year.

* * *

><p>Either way it means that something is really wrong in my head.<p>

"Nope" I said, trying to look as bored and as disinterested at the topic of the conversation as a person can be. Too bad my cheeks were burning as if they were on fire, ruining my facade.

Potter stared at me for a moment before shrugging and resuming to eat from his plate. The corner of his mouth was twitching as if he was trying to suppress a smirk.

He knows I'm lying.

Peachy.

"See? Girls like me better. Right, Tailor?" Black winked at Alice.

"Does the word "boyfriend" means anything to you?"

"Unwelcome nuisance. Honestly Tailor, it's not like you're going to marry the guy. How 'bout a date this weekend after we'll win the match against Slytherin?"

"What makes you think I'll agree?"

"What makes you think you'll win?" I asked

Black's attention swung back to me. I was a bit taken aback when I saw he wasn't looking playful any more. "Why? You have any basis to think they'll win against us?"

Yikes.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Reminder<strong>__: Never come between boys and their sport_.

* * *

><p>Any moment now and he'll bare his teeth and start growling.<p>

"No, I'm just-"

"Like an insider information. Rubbing elbows with the enemy lately, Evans?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what" Black put his elbows on the table and leaned forwards. I had a sudden sensation of being in one of the old TV cop-shows. In the role as the interrogated suspect. "Why Snivellus gave you a social call in the hospital wing in the middle of the night?"

Potter's head snapped back up.

Viola looked at me surprised. "Snape visited you?"

"None of your business" I told Black. Eight pairs of eyes stared at me. My friends with surprise and curiosity, and the boys with suspicious (mainly Black), interest (Remus) and speculation. Or all three (Potter). "And how would you know?"

"I have my ways" Black said airily.

My eyes narrowed.

Black stared calmly back.

* * *

><p><strong>How to recognize when a Marauder is about to, or is already, tricking andor lying to you**

**(Side note****: The followings are common signs ****_only_. Does not apply to all cases)**

Symptom no.1_: He starts a staring-contest. A good liar has the ability to control the muscles of his face. _

Solution:_ Sometimes you're able to figure out if his blinks are intentional or not by copying the time it takes him to blink._

* * *

><p>My eyes were starting to water and burn slightly at the corners. Beside me, Alice was rubbing her eyes with her knuckles.<p>

"One down, four to go" mumbled Viola to herself. "Ready, set... Go!"

"Funny, because as I recall it, it was late at night and we were alone. With a dog"

"I was on my way to the kitchens and the door to the hospital wing was open"

"My bed was stuck in front of the said door. No way you could have passed without me noticing you"

"You were nearly passed out" he called.

"But how would you know that unless you were in the room at the same time. Maybe I was barely awake but Snape wasn't, and I doubt he would've ignored your presence. He, at least, ain't that rude"

Black's mouth opened then closed without a word.

* * *

><p><span>Symptom no.2<span>: _His answers are quicker than your questions._

Solution: _Keep shooting logical obstacles to his claims until you back him up in a corner and then knock him dead. Or at least make sure his mouth is shut up._

* * *

><p>"Just tell her the truth" Potter shifted in his seat at the same time Black jerked slightly in his.<p>

He glared at Potter in response. "I _am_ telling the truth" he said through gritted teeth.

* * *

><p><span>Symptom no.3<span>: _Actions stronger than words. When a fellow Marauder senses his friend is in trouble, he will first experience in the first few seconds annoyance and/or anger towards said friend for having the stupidity to get himself tangled in his lies. Such emotions will usually be expressed in small actions of violence. For ex: kicking your friend under the dining table._

Solution: _Best to increase the mental pressure._

* * *

><p>"Of course you are. Everyone knows that the closest shortcut to get from our tower to the kitchens is the one that leads through the hospital wing. It only lengthens your way by... twenty minutes or so"<p>

"He felt bad for making you ill." Interfered Remus. "So he came to see you and check you're alright. And apologize." He gave Black a pointed look.

* * *

><p><span>Symptom no.4:<span> _Marauder to the rescue. After symptom no.3 fades off, Marauders will help each other out._

Solution: _Get your own back-up._

* * *

><p>"Ain't that sweet, he came to apologize for his latest stunt" Alice turned to Viola with a fake surprised look. "What's the settled score between them then, Vi'?"<p>

"One apology down? I'm guessing... four-hundred more to go"

"Ladies, ladies!" Black put his hands up, palms in surrender. "I believe that all here agrees that settling the score between Evans and us will be quite a challenge. As Evans is the smartest girl I know from our year, and from first-hand experience, I know she won't accept the apology as it is. Shall we bargain, then? One truth for another?" he smiled that slow smile which made Hogwarts girls fantasize about dark corners, kisses and as less clothes as possible.

* * *

><p><span>Symptom no.5<span>: _If all things fail, charm, bargain and charm again._

Solution: _If your will-power is not strong enough against so much testosterone, you're a goner._

* * *

><p>I smiled back.<p>

Ha. Gotcha.

"Unfortunately, no truth of yours will have the same value as mine" I said.

"Quite sure?"

"A five out of five score. Liar, Liar, wand on fire" Viola sang softly.

"Unbelievable" laughed Alice. "Lily's right"

"About what?" the three Marauders asked in unison.

"Never mind"

In the end, they still managed to avoid my original question in circles, bows and orange pigtails, till I was nearly as confused as this comparison sounded in my head.

Hm.

In my limited ability to follow the thread of this weird conversation while trying to detect any hidden lies in the meantime, I concluded: "So, you were on your way to the kitchens, sneaking through a very long and unnecessary shortcut, which happened to pass through the door of the infirmary. You decided on the spur of the moment to check on me and give me an insincere apology, even though in your mind you figured it still won't settle anything between us, because me being me, I'll continue to give you detentions, and you being you, you'll continue to prank me. But then you spotted Snape talking to my half-breathing form, and by some twisted logic of yours, which came from a very soft and insecure spot that no girl managed to locate yet, you concluded that we were conspiring, of all things, to influence the coming quidditch game" the last sentence was delivered in a very dry and sarcastic tone.

"No" Potter said before Black had a chance to open his mouth. "On the way to the kitchens he thought: "Hey, the hospital wing is right around the corner. It won't cost a thing to go check on the Head Girl". Maybe you felt better, maybe you didn't. But did it enter your mind that Sirius was genuinely worried?" his arms were crossed on the table, hands balled in fists and his hazel eyes flashing in anger behind his round spectacles. "Perhaps he thought he crossed the line a little this time around. No one intended for you to get really hurt. And then to see Snivellus of all people..." his lips curled in a sneer.

If I was irritated before, I was certainly furious now. "No intention to get me hurt, but only extremely humiliated, correct? After all, what harm could be done if I acted like a fool in front of the whole school by imagining myself in love with an obnoxious and selfish boy who only cares about quidditch and having a good laugh on expanse of everybody else? But lo and behold the duration of his guilt when his plans don't come to their usual conclusion- which in my estimation won't last the end of this week!"

"Nothing makes a breakfast more complete than having two stubborn and thick-headed people talking and acting as if they lived long enough inside my head to know what I was thinking" Sirius said in a murmur to Remus. "Call it an instinct, but I don't think they argue about _me_ specifically anymore"

"Don't presume to know what he feels" Potter retorted. "You don't know him well enough to make assumptions. Not even once, in all these years, have you tried to act differently or talk civilly. All you do is walk around with your nose in the air, looking as if he's beneath you, not worth even to greet from time to time when you cross him in the hall"

"Why should I bother to be civil when the only answer I receive are nasty and stupid pranks played on me as some part of a grand plan of revenge. Or retribution. Whatever you call it"

"Revenge is an ugly word" Potter said. Some of his anger started to ebb away. "We'd like to call it getting even. If you give us detention, we'll prank you. If you dodge points from us, we'll prank you. I lost count of the number of times you interrupted us in the middle of our business with the fair sex. We only treat you as you treat us. Now, if you really became friendlier and stopped meddling in our business..."

"I do not befriend my bullies" I said through gritted teeth.

"I think we should start selling tickets for this" I heard Viola whisper behind my back.

"Hide any forks and knives" Alice whispered back.

"James won't hit a girl physically!"

"But Lily is a muggle-born. Who knows what she learned before she cultivated magic?"

"What makes you think we're your bullies?" All this time, me and Potter were arguing in a volume not higher than a normal conversation. To an outsider, it might look no more dangerous than a discussion over homework. But when Potter lowered his voice further, I could feel shivers running down my spine to my toes, and it was not a pleasant sensation. I felt... scared. Of something. I don't know.

"Three years is quite a long time to think otherwise" I answered quietly.

There was a silence. Everyone held their breath and watched us.

"I'm not..." started Potter.

"_Salut, mes amours_!" Janet suddenly swooped from out of nowhere accompanied by her Giggling Duo, Riley and Anne.

All the fight went out of me in a _whoosh _when I saw my opponent's attention shift direction to the cleavage that was presented in front of his nose.

"Damn, right when we were getting to the good part" Sirius muttered. He shook his head then caught the eye of one of the Duo and winked. "Riley, I shall crumble in despair if I won't get a token from your lips in a moment. Will you do me the honor of saving me from misery?"

Riley giggled, blushed, giggled, bent to give him a soft kiss on his lips, giggled and said, "You're such a clown. I've never seen you crumble in despair from lack of kisses"

"That's because he never lacks them" Viola remarked.

Riley just giggled harder.

"It's true" Sirius answered solemnly, laughter in his eyes. "But Evans showed me the light. If it wasn't for her, I would never know I had a sad and lonely boy hiding away in my soul, just waiting for the right girl to find him and nurture him with love and affection. The revelation changed my life"

"_Bon travail, _Evans" Janet said. She wasn't looking at me, but at Potter, too busy giving him come-hither look from beneath her lashes. "And you?" she asked softly. "Any lonely parts that would like some affection?"

"_P__uis-je obtenir un baiser du matin, aussi_?" the Head Boy asked gently.

"_Oui, oui monsieur_"

It was probably the first time I saw up-close that expression on his face. I gulped, tasting a bad flavor in my mouth which I didn't think was from breakfast. Or the exchange of saliva in front of me.

I was still left without an answer to my unasked question.

Did he kiss me that night?

Seeing how easily he went and kissed girls in public, without a second thought to the matter, as if it was as natural habit like getting on a broom and flying, I truly hoped that it was all in my imagination.

Now we were ignored completely. Even Remus was busy, telling funny stories punctuated by Anne's high-pitched titters.

"That's it. Now I'm truly going to puke" Alice pushed her plate away and stood up. "C'mon Lily, let's go to class"

I swung the strap of my schoolbag and looked to my right. "Vi'?"

"Mmmphhh"

"You know she won't stop eating even if they decided to shag between the bread and butter and the scrambled eggs"

"Alice!" I choked in laughter.

"Mmhhmm" Viola swallowed and grinned up at us. "Quidditch. Practice. This afternoon. Promised" she pointed her tea spoon at us in warning. "Be there"

We both curtsied as a joke. "O_ui, oui m'dame_"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry it took so long to update... but WOW, how many reviewers!**

**THANK YOU!**

**Now, I do no speak french, which means that anyone that does- Sorry if I'm making mistakes. I'll be thankful for any pointed corrections on your part in case something in french doesn't make sense. **

**So, please Review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter, tra-la-la-la-la...**


	6. Half Truths

Chapter 6

**Half Truths**

Today was not turning to be such a promised good day. Ignoring the head-to-head confrontation with the Head Boy this morning (which let me tell you, is _such_ a good-mood-killer), I passed my morning classes with the minimum of difficulty.

Which means, in other words, that I restrained myself from having panic attacks when a new subject came up and bursting in a lively yodel whenever I knew- HA!- what the prof was explaining.

It's amazing what a forceful rest of two days can cause me. Or the after-affects of a nasty potion, if you go by Madam Pomfery's explanation to my very worried best-friends.

So between dancing the steps in the hallway (or trying to. Viola grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the girls' bathroom before I could embarrass her in public) and being driven to sentimental tears by my new transformed chick (and scaring Alice along the way by it), I somehow managed to stumble to point number nine of my To-Do list.

_Begging on my knees, elbows and with forehead pressed to the ground for prof. McG. To let me resubmit my essay._

I didn't beg of course.

I only asked politely.

Oh, a couple of times.

And professor McGonegal?

Well, she refused.

Politely.

All fourteen times that I asked.

And then she sent me to the hospital wing to be checked again, which I couldn't understand why.

I'm fine now. Really.

"You're doing it again." said Alice, her eyes following the flying figure of Viola.

"Doing what?"

"Tapping your foot and twitching your fingers. Madam Pomfery said these bursts of adrenaline should diminish around now. Maybe we should go after the quidditch practice to check you again."

"I'm fine!"

"You look like you're about to have a seizure. Several of them, actually."

I sighed and willed my body to hold still. I succeeded for about ten seconds.

We were sitting at the stands of the quidditch field, as promised to Viola this morning. The Gryffindor quidditch team was now up in the air, flying, turning upside-down and doing some fancy tricks. The basic fooling around of a flyer when the captain is not looking.

Speaking of which...

I pulled an empty parchment and a quill. "Now we start the fun."

Alice glanced at me and made a face. "This is ridiculous."

"Viola suggested it." I said defensively.

"She thinks it can be funny. You just get some perverse enjoyment of listing the Marauders' flaws by order." she paused and then added, "Specifically James Potter's."

My hand froze above the parchment. "What are you implying?"

She shook her blond hair out of her face and shrugged. "Nothing."

* * *

><p><strong>How to know when your Quidditch Captain is in a bad mood:<strong>

(For the current players in the house of Gryffindor. Divided respectively by gender)

BOYS: 

_(Frank, Jeffris, Black, Timmy, Samps)_

1. If your captain greets you along the lines of: "Get your ass down here or you'll sit with the fans next match"

2. If he makes you go rounds.

3. If he makes you go rounds again because you haven't fainted from the exhaustion yet..

4. If he charges you with cleaning the goalposts until you see god's reflection on it.

5. If he makes you redo each play in slow motions.

6. Then yells at you for half an hour about every move you made wrong

7. Then yells in general that he saw _girls_ playing better.

8. When confronted with the fact the he doesn't treat the girls and the boys equally in the team, the captain will apologize and say sarcastically that he didn't know your balls have disappeared, and perhaps his highness would like to sit and rest on a chair to rearrange his hair and check for broken nails?

GIRLS: 

_(Viola, Sophie)_

Usually involves short and to the point commands regarding the attire, the moves, the looks and general behavior, fictional or otherwise. For example:

1. "Stop flirting!"

2. "Stop daydreaming, this isn't History of Magic class!"

3. "Making eyes at the chaser won't stop him from scoring, you know!"

4. "Just because you're a girl doesn't mean the opposite player will cut you a break!"

* * *

><p>"Well, someone is having a good day." I said.<p>

"You don't have to sound so pleased with it." Alice said.

I rolled the parchment and put everything back in. "Actually I do. Misery likes company. If I am having such a lousy day why shouldn't he?"

Alice smiled in response. "Sometimes you make it too easy for me. Potter. You. A preference for his company. The possibilities are simply endless."

"Oh, look! Here comes Frank. Go and slobber all over each other."

She laughed. "You can't get rid of me that-" suddenly the teasing was replaced with a suspicious frown. "And what is _she_ doing here?"

I turned around and caught the sight of a too-familiar beautiful Ravenclaw. "Well, it's quidditch practice. Two of the Marauders are up in the air showing off their skill. I'd say we can narrow down to the obvious conclusion."

"Except that she's coming over here."

"We've got the best view?" I suggested jokingly.

We both watched as Blanc approached us with a slight swing to her hips. I couldn't understand why she bothered. There weren't any boys around to drive to distraction.

"Evans, I need to talk to you." Her cool gaze moved to Alice. "Alone."

Alice's eyebrows rose. "You've got a problem with me?"

_La Belle_ shrugged. "Not for long." She scoured the sky until spotting a specific chaser. Raising both her hands to her mouth, she gave a sharp long appreciative whistle and yelled: "Way to go, Frankie!"

The chaser glanced in our direction, raised his hand in thanks and collided with a goalpost.

I watched Frank struggle to put back his broom in balance as it went spinning uncontrollably in the air. He managed to steady it and make somewhat of a safe landing. Alice was already racing down the steps.

"If you want to talk, then down there." I pointed to the ground.

Blanc gave a single nod for acceptance.

"Alice!" I called as I was again at ground level.

She turned and her eyes narrowed when she saw who was behind me.

"You...!" Alice's hand moved towards her school bag and I quickly jumped in between them in alarm.

"Whoa, Alice. Don't. Not here, or at least, not in front of me."

Blanc glanced over my shoulder and smiled sweetly. "Better listen to the Head Girl, Tailor. As I see it, either you try to fight me or you can go check that your __chéri__ is alright."

Alice made a disgusted sound and turned towards the locker room. "Be careful from poisonous snakes." She called over her shoulder. "The only way of defence is to behead them."

"Charming friends you have." Blanc commented.

"You got me alone, as you ordered." I said sarcastically. "Any specific reason?"

"_Oui_-"

"And no more french." I warned her.

"Very well. I'm here to ask you to stay away from James."

I must have gone deaf for a moment. There is no way that she asked me...

"James." I repeated.

"_Ou_- yes."

"James Potter." I clarified a second time.

"Yes."

"James Potter, the Head Boy, the Marauder who keeps pranking people to pass the time? That James Potter?"

She looked at me with slight amusement. "I always had the impression that you were quicker to understand. I guess I was wrong."

I"ll ignore that for a moment, but...

"What do you mean "stay away"? For the last three years, distance is the one thing I kept between us!"

"It didn't look so this morning." She held one finger in each hand in the air "The distance between you two which came from this to this-" she drew the fingers closer to each other. "In less than ten minutes can make any person come to the obvious conclusion. Which is why I came to warn you."

"Obvious conclusion?"

"Something is going on between you two."

"Yeah- dislike. Disrespect. Hate. Take your pick."

She actually laughed at that. "I suppose your blindness is my gain, in the end."

"Look," I said, finally losing patience. "As far as I know, he's single. If you want him, go for it. Be my guest. Except for some insane moments where I want to slam his head against the nearest wall, I really don't care whom he dates. And after what I saw this morning, I don't think he'll object much to dating you."

Blanc shrugged and her gaze focused on the players on the ground. "Well, it was the polite thing to do, anyway."

"Polite?"

"I know you all think that I'm a snob and a relationship-breaker." She looked at me to see if I was about to contradict her.

I stayed quiet.

She smiled in acknowledgment "But, you can never call me a hypocrite. If I see something I want, I'm going to get it and not just sit idly by and twiddle my thumbs like an idiot. I always give fare warning if I happen to like something that already belongs to someone else."

"You warn girls that you're planning to steal their boyfriends?"

"Is it my fault they don't have enough confidence to fight for what they have? They never tried to resist me, so what right do they have to cry later and curse me?"

"In this case, you don't have to worry. The road to Potter's heart is free."

"Not quite. The road is actually scattered with obstacles. One of them is you."

"I told you already that I'm not your opponent. I don't care about him and I doubt that he feels anything for me except annoyance and deep dislike."

Blanc shrugged. "A boy who wastes his time by thinking how to prank a girl, mmmm... I don't think it's just out of annoyance. But maybe you're right and I'm imagining things" she sounded doubtful about that. "So why aren't you interested?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, if I had to work with James, I wouldn't complain so much. Especially in those private sessions..." she subconsciously licked her lips.

"Trust me, there's nothing interesting about them. Or him."

Actually from the beginning of the year I made sure we met as few times as possible. If I wanted something, I simply sent Poppy, my owl. Poppy have as much affection for Potter as I have, and she's more violent in expressing it too. Wasn't the first time I saw Potter with scratches on his hands and pecking signs. I suspect the only reason his condition is never worse, is because Snitch, Potter's owl, defends his master while courting Poppy at the same time. I know. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I didn't see with my own two eyes how Snitch kept bringing small snacks to Poppy's cage. Sweet, if you're a bird, but kills your appetite if you're a human and wake up to find dead rodents on your pillow.

"He's good looking" Blanc pulled me back to the conversation.

"I've seen better." I lived in the same house with him for the last seven years, for Merlin's sake. I have nothing wrong with my vision, thankyouverymuch.

"And he's smart. Like you."

"So are a lot of other people" While I'm busting my ass to keep my grades up, that... Gryffindor keeps pulling "O" out of nowhere, probably in his sleep because I never saw him crack a single study book as far as I know.

"And he's popular" Blanc continued, studying my face as if it was a strange riddle. "Very likeable."

"Are you trying to warn me off or matchmake me? he's likeable like the Big Bad Wolf from Red Riding Hood." I caught sign of a thin shape from the corner of my eye which floated in the air and seemed to be heading... in my direction.

Maybe I was a magnet for bad luck today. It was the most weird day I had for quite a long time now.

"You mean the muggle story?"

I blinked. "You know muggle's stories?"

"I dated a muggle once. What?" she added somewhat defensively at my surprised look, "Just because I'm pure-blood doesn't mean I have something against muggles. Besides, he was a good kisser."

As the strange shape floated closer, I realized it was a paper-plane. I checked my surroundings in worry. But the quidditch team was standing in groups of twos and threes, Alice was busy fussing over Frank and Blanc didn't seem to notice anything but the two Marauders who were busy stretching their limbs and discussing tactics. I put my palm out and the paper-plane landed on it. Opening it up, two words were written on it:

_Tonight. 20:00?_

Then the paper crumbled into brown powder. I scooped some up and tasted it. Dark chocolate.

Cute. Very cute.

"That's the weirdest love letter I've ever seen." Blanc commented.

I hurriedly dropped the powder to the ground. "That's not a love letter." I opened my bag and pulled a quill and an ink bottle and wrote: "See you there" on a torn parchment. I tapped it twice with my wand. It folded into a paper-plane and took off.

Out of nowhere Blanc started to laugh. I glanced at her, startled. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head, still chuckling to herself. "It answers so much..."

"What's wrong with her?" Viola asked, carrying her broom over her shoulder. She looked exhausted but satisfied.

"I don't know. I think maybe she went finally insane." I nodded towards the broom on her shoulder. "Practice over?"

"Yeah. There's not much to do once Frank got knocked over. Let's head for the dorm."

"Alice?"

We both looked in her direction. She and Frank were standing very close to each other. Frank had his hands on her hips and Alice's arms were wrapped around his neck.

"Yeah..." I smiled.

"I have a feeling she'll get by." Viola finished with a smirk.

"Hey, Janet! Care to share the joke with us?" yelled Black.

I linked my arm with Viola's and pulled her with me. "Let's go before they come any nearer. One encounter per day with the Marauders is more than enough for me to stomach."

As we walked away, Blanc's voice followed us: "It's Evans. She's so adorable. Can you believe it? all this time, she's been hiding a _boyfriend_..."

I closed my eyes in agony. "Oh God..."

"A _boyfriend_?" Viola whispered at me, mock-outraged. "Lilian Margaret Evans, have you been hiding something from us?"

Yep. This definitely was not my day.

* * *

><p>Flour was spilled across the table. What remained of the cut apples was on one side of me, while bowls with sugar, cinnamon and other ingredients were scattered around haphazardly. Dressed in an old red t-shirt and jeans with my hair tied back in a high ponytail to get it away from my face, I dipped my stirring spoon into the melted caramel I was cooking in my potion's cauldron and tasted it.<p>

Mmmm. Not bad.

I swear that if I didn't found out I was a witch when I was young, I would've ended up opening a pastry shop in a couple of years. My grandma put me on the road of baking cakes and pies and basically anything that makes your teeth rot, and I've been secretly experimenting in the Hogwarts kitchens since first year. The Marauders would be rolling on the floor laughing if they found out about this...

"Where to put this Ms. Evans?" a house-elf, his pointy ears reaching my knees, held my fresh-out-of-the-oven apple pie.

I looked at the table on which I was working on. Two mugs of warm melted dark chocolate, strawberry shortcake, cream muffins, cinnamon rolls, cocoa brownies, double cheese cake, honey maple bread, bowls with cut fruits mixed in vanilla ice cream and a plate of chocolate chips cookies, just in case.

I think I got carried away a little. Amazing what you can achieve under three hours and a little hand from three hundred little house-elves.

"Squeeze it between the rolls and the bread. I'll still need some space to study..."

"What on earth happened here?" a tall seventeen-year-old in loose gray clothes stood in the entrance to the kitchens, looking slightly bewildered at me.

I glanced at my working table and cleared my throat in embarrassment. "I know it's a bit disorganized..."

"Disorganized? It looks like a war zone." he placed his bag on the bench and rolled back his sleeves. "You've got something in your hair, too."

"Cinnamon powder" I shook my hair and a little powder fell on my shirt. "It accidentally blew in my face when I elevated it with my wand."

""_Accidentally blew in my face_"" he smirked. "And then you end up complaining to me that you don't understand how your potions always end up bad."

"Not always!" I objected. "And I never complained."

He gave me a knowing look. If he was a girl, he would be rolling his eyes at me right now. He twirled an imaginary lock of hair and pitched his voice a little higher. "Oh, Sev, what did I do wrong? Oh Sev, it's a mess! Oh, Sev, please help save my grade. Again. For the last time. I promise!"

I choked back a laugh. "Oh, Sev, shut up and taste this."

Severus took the stirring spoon I offered and stared at the orange-brownish liquid. "What is it?"

"Candy. Or it will be once I'll freeze it over."

"I help you maintain a perfect score for three years and you repay me by trying to make my teeth fall off?"

I smiled sweetly at him. "Pretty much."

One eyebrow quirked up, but he still raised the spoon to his mouth and tasted it cautiously.

I held my breath in anticipation.

Seconds of silence ticked by.

Severus put the spoon back into the cauldron. "Let's get down to business now."

I gave him a satisfied grin. "That good, huh?"

He just pulled his potions book, a thick secondhand book which has seen better days and put it on the table with a snap. "Unfortunately," he said coldly, his usual study-or-get-away-from-my-sight tone he used whenever we got around for another tutoring session, "Your problem is that you take your method of baking and apply it when you create a new potion. A rather harmless potion with simply to follow instructions somehow end up making holes in people's shoes once you finish with it. If your work place looks like this" he waved his hand around. "I'm not surprised you end up in trouble."

I pushed some plates away and put my own copy of the textbook, some parchments, a quill and a bottle of ink. "If making potions was the same as bakery I wouldn't be having such a hard time. You know I like following my instinct." I tapped the cauldron that was simmering down beside me with my fingernail. "Add some unusual flavor now and then just to see what will happen."

The sarcastic glint returned to his dark eyes. "And embarrass me in class as well. I distinctly remember that we worked on Repressive-Regressive potion _weeks_ before we started it in class." He opened his textbook at a random page. "I guess I have no choice but to revisit everything we worked on so far. Let's see if those cakes are worth my trouble."

How adorable. He just challenged me.

I folded my hands on top of the table and looked him straight in the eye. "Do your worst, Slytherin."

"I intend to, Gryffindor."

* * *

><p><strong>The Manual of Reading Between the Lines of Mr. SS<strong>: (part 11,568C)

_SS:_ "Unfortunately... your problem is that you take your method of baking and apply it when you create a new potion."

Translation: Improvising is not the answer for a potion gone wrong.

_SS:_ "A rather harmless potion with simply to follow instructions somehow end up making holes in people's shoes once you finish with it."

Translation: You're careless and you still owe me a pair.

_SS:_ "If your work place looks like this...There will usually be trouble in the end for you."

Translation: I won't be there forever to clean after your mess.

_SS_: "I intend to, Gryffindor."

Translation: The food looks delicious. Thank you.

* * *

><p>It's rather funny how I ended up with Severus Snape as my Potions tutor. In fifth year, when I was chosen as a prefect, I ended up assigned with Severus in a patrol one evening by mistake. His partner was in the hospital wing (courtesy of The Marauders) and mine was hidden in The Forbidden Forest until full moon would pass away. We had to be partners for a week.<p>

My first time that I wasn't partnered with Remus. I was not happy. The only thing I knew about him was that he was my age, scored better than me in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, extremely reclusive, unsociable and a Slytherin.

First patrol night passed in complete silence. We pretended that the other was not there.

Second patrol night we caught two second-year Slytherins trying to plant stinking bombs in the girls bathroom. I dodged some points. They cursed me. They missed. And I dragged them to their Head house by their ears. Severus didn't lift a finger. He didn't help either party. Just leaned against the wall and watched. The only reaction I noticed was the cold look he gave the younger boys when they told them to help "shut-up that Gryffindor bitch". The next morning I wondered if it was truly luck that saved me from being hexed.

I kept wondering at it for the next couple of nights until the last patrol night we had together. And then we ran into the infamous Marauders. Missing one of their members apparently didn't stop them from pulling some prank. And when they spotted Severus... from taunts, to insults, it fast escalated to withdrawn wands and a two-on-one duel. It took me a few moments to react from the shock of the suddenness it all happened. But when I disarmed all of them, Black and Severus went at each other with fists. I held Potter back by his robe and told him to pull away his friend while I handle Severus. And when Potter turned and opened his mouth- that moment marked the beginning of our animosity.

He started flirting with me.

When somehow he ended asking me out while his best friend was rolling on the floor with my partner and exchanging punches, I decided that I was sick of standing at the sidelines, that all boys are idiots, and so I simply stupefied everyone.

I admit now, three years later, that I may have overreacted back then. Basically no bones were broken, and Severus was nobody's fool, and he gave as hard and painful as he received.

Still, I broke three private rules that night:

I interfered in a fight between two boys, who both saw the act as a hurt to their egos. No one likes to be called a coward, especially Sev.

I handed two popular members of my house to Filch to deal with (While they were still stupefied)

I gave the confiscated wands of Black and Potter to McGonagall and told her we caught them in the act of setting up a prank. I didn't mention the fight.

I meddled, I handed two students to a creep who enjoys hanging people upside down and I lied to a teacher. Or at least told half the truth.

The next morning three houses turned against me. I was stamped as a traitor and a snitch. Alice was somewhat reasonable, but Viola and me had a row of shouting matches in our dorm that fed the gossip for weeks. Other girls stopped inviting me to parties or just to hang out. I was left somewhat alone, one friend still defending me but stepping on eggshells whenever we talked, while the other very much still upset but hitting anyone who said anything against me. Then the Marauders started targeting me and the situation became so unbearable that I couldn't walk to a single place without having students stare at me and whisper behind my back.

My only refuge were the Hogwarts kitchens at night. I baked and baked and sometimes cried and baked some more. Nothing dissolved my tension away better than kneading a dough while pretending it's some bespectacled, hateful face with a cocky grin I'm disfiguring.

And that's how Severus found me.

He barged into the kitchens, threw his bag on the bench, planted his hands on the table in front of me and told me in a cold, measured voice: "We need to finish the Potions project. I am certainly not going to do your share and definitely won't accept a failed mark because I had the misfortune to be partnered with a weeping cleaning rag who let's hormones and other people opinions control her" he looked at my tear-stained face and added, disgusted "I thought you had more backbone than that"

I was shocked and before I realized what was happening, I dumped a big bowl of whipped cream on his head.

It was the beginning to the weirdest friendship I ever had.

After that incident, the road to getting along with him became smoother. He ended up helping me pass my exams while I tried to fatten him with everything that grandma taught me. After awhile we started seeing each other once or twice a week at the evenings to compare notes, study or just for a light talk. We never talked about our families, our friends or our personal lives. I basically know nothing about him except how to interpret his moods.

"You alive down there?" I asked.

"Barely" Severus muttered. He was lying on the bench on his back, one hand on his stomach and his eyes closed. If his chest wasn't moving as he breathed, you could have mistaken him for a corpse. With a very full stomach.

"There's still some left." I teased.

"No more" with his eyes still closed he dug into his bag and pulled a sheet of parchments. "This is yours."

I sat next to him on the floor. "What is it?" I leafed through until I realized I recognized the writing.

It was mine.

I looked at him with surprised pleasure. "You fixed it? My Transfiguration essay?"

He opened his eyes a crack and struggled to sit up. "You look like puppy who got her favorite bone back. All I did was find the counter-course-"

He gave a chocked sound as I gave him a tight hug. My smile suddenly disappeared as I realized there was an assembly of excited house-elves around the entrance. "Company" was the only thing I whispered in his ear.

Then instinct took over.

The word "_Stupefy_" passed through my mind as I pointed my wand towards the tall form. Next to me, Severus was already on his feet and did a swish with his wand without muttering a word. I grabbed my bag and did a cleaning spell all over the table, leaving it as organized as I found it.

Severus went to inspect the fallen body.

"Lily, I think you'd like to see this."

When I drew close, he was still pointing his wand but this time the most unpleasant smile I ever saw was on his face. Next to his feet, James Potter was lying on his side, immobilized, a weird looking cloak on the floor next to him.

"Is that...?"

"An invisibility cloak" Severus confirmed in low voice. "That's how they were getting away all the time. One mystery solved."

I bent down and checked Potter's pulse, just in case. I couldn't have hit that hard, could I?

"He'll be fine." Severus sneered. He kneeled down and lightly touched Potter's shoulder with the tips of his fingers. His eyes stopped blinking and his lips were moving in rapid succession.

"Hey!" I knocked his hand away. "No foul play. What are you doing?"

Severus sighed silently and stood up. "Nothing that he doesn't deserve. Think you'll be able to handle him?"

"Of course." I said. "Go before Filch catches you. His rounds started half an hour ago."

"How time flies by when you're having fun." He muttered rather sarcastically.

After he left, I turned Potter on his back and pushed the glasses back on his nose. "Now what am I supposed to do with you?"

Potter continued to stare on without blinking and without saying a single word.

* * *

><p>"I mean, first McGonagall with the essay, then La Belle and Alice, and then you turn up." I whispered as I walked down the empty corridor on the third floor with Potter, still stupefied, floating beside me under the Invisibility cloak. "This is the worst karma I ever had in one day." I patted him on the shoulder with my free hand. He bobbled up and down like an empty bottle in water. "You know, this is fun. We should conduct our Head Meetings like this more often. When you don't spit idiotic half-cracks which I presume suppose to be jokes, you make for a great listener." I stopped when we reached a set of moving staircase. I checked the time on Potter's watch. "Filch won't arrive for at least an hour and any patrolling professors are scattered on different floors, I guess this is as safe as it can get."<p>

I released Potter from the spell.

Next moment I lost my breath as I was shoved against the nearest wall.

One hand was covering my mouth, the other resting over my head and Potter's face, so close, so furious, filled my line of vision.

"Evans," Potter hissed through gritted teeth, "You'll pay for this. But first, we need to get out of here."

I tugged his hand down. "That's what I've been trying to do." I said crossly.

"Shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

His hand covered my mouth again, this time with slightly more pressure. "Shut up," he repeated quietly in my ear "And listen."

We both fell silence and waited. For a few moments the only thing I heard was the fast beating of my heart and the soft ticking of Potter's watch. Then a small shadow slid across a wall, and Mrs. Norris appeared from the corner. The most hated cat in Hogwarts, stopped in her tracks, sniffed the air and turned her large yellow eyes in our direction.

I looked at Potter in alarm.

"She's been following you for the past ten minutes." his voice was barely a whisper in my ear. "Which I would've pointed out if you had let me go sooner."

"But she's not supposed to see us." I muttered against his palm.

"No, but her smelling sense functions perfectly. And you, Evans, smell like a walking birthday cake."

"She's going away." I whispered in relief.

"Probably to call Filch. C'mon." He grabbed my arm and pulled me up the stairs.

I dug my heels in the ground and refused to move. "If Filch is close we won't stand a chance. He'll hear us if we go up."

"Actually, there's a way to know." He started checking his pockets. He squeezed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath. "I must've dropped it when your boyfriend attacked me. My mates are going to _kill_ me." He pulled the invisibility cloak off and nudged me towards the stairs. "Go."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm heading back. If I'll see Filch, I'll stall him. It'll give you enough time to get back to the common room."

"Would you stop already with the knight-in-shining-armor routine?" I breathed angrily. "What has gotten into you lately? Did you hit your head too many times in quidditch practice?"

"Look," He wrapped the cloak around himself so now only his head floated in the air. "Filch's a creep whom I wouldn't hand my worst enemy to. Unlike someone I know."

"If you still hold a grudge for what happened in fifth year-"

"Evans!" he snapped. "Against your misguided believe, not everything I do has an ulterior motive. So if you don't mind, go back to Gryffindor's tower and stop poking in my business. You're wasting my time." Then his head disappeared and the echo of running feet faded around the corner.

I climbed up the stairs in anger.

Fine. Just fine.

Let him run straight to trouble. It's what he's famous for. Or addicted to, more likely.

I don't care.

Forget that he's Head Boy, has responsibility towards the rest of the school and with his record, if he's caught again, McGonagall can take his badge if she's in the mood to.

I don't care.

Might be a good thing in the end. I'll get a new partner, someone I can actually work with and won't make me want to push him out of the nearest window.

I don't care. I really don't.

By tomorrow the news will be out. James Potter caught again while on a small trip to the kitchens. No one will know that I stupefied him before he took a step inside. Severus wasn't the gossiping kind and for all his faults, Potter wasn't known to rat on people. Even if it was me.

I stopped in the middle of the staircase, turned around and stomped back down.

I don't care what happens to Potter. But I won't have him blame me because he's too stupid to know when to run away. And besides, he's a liar.

Everyone has a motive to do what they do. And I'm going to find out his.

* * *

><p>Did I mention it was not my day? The clock didn't even struck midnight yet and I got more action these past fifteen hours than it's averagely healthy for a Hogwarts student.<p>

Imagine you tiptoeing in a dark corridor, trying not to make a sound and find your fellow idiotic, arrogant, head-too-thick-to-let-anything-enter, Head Boy. When _suddenly_, you hear the sound of voice that can cause chills to run down your spine.

The kind of voice that implies: _I know what you've done, and I'm going to catch you._

Argus Filch's voice.

If it was a muggle school, and he caught you after hours, he'll probably make you clean the other gender's bathroom with a toothbrush for a month.

And he's coming towards you.

To your horror you hear a second set of footsteps behind you. The sure, confident, measured footsteps which after seven years you know can only belong to the Head of Gryffindor House.

Can matters get any worse? Of course they can!

As I was standing there hopeless, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse, my body levitated on its own and I flew several feet to the left before passing through a _solid, bricked wall_.

The charm was lifted and I fell right into James Potter's arms.

Someone up there must really hate me.

Let me explain this properly:

I don't have to straighten my arm to touch the opposite wall.

I'm average height, but Potter can make me feel rather dwarfed.

He holds me pressed between himself and the wall in this narrow dusty passageway.

Our face are in the same level, judging by the feel of his breath on my cheek.

I can't reach the ground with my toes.

_I also can't see a single damn thing._

"Potter, put me _down."_

"There's no place to put you down. You'll lend on my feet."

"I don't have a problem with that."

"I do. I like my toes unbroken. You're not the lightest girl you know."

I punched in the direction of what I hoped was his shoulder. "I can't breath."

"Try." his breath warmed my ear as he talked. "Keep in mind that if you faint, I'll have no choice but to do that muggle mouth-to-mouth thingy."

"You know CPR?" I whispered incredulously.

"No. But if you won't shut it, I'm willing to start practicing on you now."

"Did you find them?" McGonagall's even voice silenced me more effectively than his threat.

"No, but I found this." There was a gleeful note in Filch's voice and the rustle of paper.

"Doesn't seem special. A student must've dropped it. Keep me notified if you catch whoever it is."

Her footsteps receded down the hall.

I was startled when Potter's head thumped against the wall next to my neck. "I'm officially dead. I can't believe he got his hands on the map..." he mumbled.

"Instead of thinking about a stupid map, why don't you get us out of here?"

"Stupid map? Stupid map?" his arms tightened around me and with each sentence, he raised me slightly more up the wall until my chin bumped against his glasses. "You have any idea how many years...!" he drew a long breath and said through gritted teeth. "You stupid witch. Because of you I lost one of the most important things I have. I got attacked. I nearly got caught in the most stupidest way possible. Tell me what have I done in previous life to deserve working with the most stubborn, argumentative, stiff-necked, pain-in-the-ass girl in the whole school?"

"Mighty Merlin, hear his prayers! I'm basically overjoyed everyday to work with Hogwarts biggest bullying, arrogant, pig-headed jerk!"

"I told you already, I never bullied you. There wasn't a single time where I pulled a prank, or jinxed, or made an accidental mess without having you respond in kind, dodge points, give detention and basically be an uptight, by-the-book hypocrite. By definition, how can you consider me a bully when you fight back each time?"

When I didn't answer, he continued just as furiously. "At first we threw some pranks, to scare you off a little. When that didn't work, we tried to avoid you. We could hide from anyone. Professors, Filch, ghosts, prefects. But you...it's like you enjoyed following and catching us in the act. I could almost see you adding points to an invisible score you kept between us in your head. Let's be brutally honest for once" his voice lowered to a quiet, steely tone. "If I was a stag and you had a weapon, I would be dead just for the fun you'll get from the chase."

"One, I'm not the kind to chase stags out of the blue and second, what on earth do you know about me?"

"Muggle-born, seventeen, top class in charms, a member of Slughorn's club, hates flying, passable looks and very scary when loses her temper. Did I miss anything? ah yes, goody-two-shoes except when sneaking to the kitchens at odd hours." The last bit was said scornfully.

My brain stopped for a moment when he described how I look. I'm not vain, but just passable looks? Is he serious? Does he need a new pair of glasses?

"As opposed to pure-blood, seventeen, rich, top class in transfiguration and DADA, prankster, quidditch captain and a thorn in the foot for the last three years. Did_ I_ miss anything?"

"Undeniably good-looking." He snapped.

"Don't make me laugh." I snapped back.

His hold on me loosened and I slid slowly down the wall until I stood on tiptoes on top of what I guessed were his shoes.

"You just like to controversy, don't you?"

"And you just like to annoy me."

"You know that you make it impossible for us to be nice to you? Since the beginning of the year you took everything we said or did as a personal attack."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that being fed a love potion was your way of raising a white flag."

He was silent for a moment. "OK, Padfoot really screwed that time."

I snorted. "Just that time? And only him?"

"It's like arguing with a black pot." He let out a frustrated breath. "Let's go out of here."

Funny. That's exactly what I asked him a minute ago.

"What? Did Mrs. Norris got your tongue?"

"I'm just trying not to state the obvious. And let go of my arm. You're hurting me."

"I'm not holding your arm."

"Then what-" just then I heard a faint _meow_ from the other side of the camouflaged fake wall.

"Caught them now, Mrs. Norris!"

My blood froze at those words.

Potter pulled me free of Filch's hold by twisting his wrist sharply. For once I was really glad that I was with someone who was working out everyday and punching slytherins in his free time.

"RUN!"

* * *

><p>We emerged breathless, full of dust and cobwebs. The skin on my arms was turning red in places where I accidentally rubbed against the walls. And it started to itch.<p>

"Where are we?"

"Fourth floor." He swiped the invisibility cloak around us both. "Stay close. If we hurry we can get to Gryffindor's tower in ten minutes."

I started to scratch "I think you have a knight-in-shining-armor complex."

"And you have trusting issues with people."

"Not people. Just with you."

"The only thing I trust right now, is that you'll get us in trouble if given half the chance. With the amount of experience you have of sneaking off..."

"For your information since first year-" I bit my bottom lip as I realized what he made me confess. Crap.

He smiled. I could almost see the calculations his brain was doing behind that hazel gaze. "Feel free to tell more."

"Let's just go."

He gave a mocking knight-in-shining-armor stylish bow. "Certainly."

* * *

><p>"And what have you two been up to?" the Fat Lady frowned at us.<p>

"Apple Tarts." I said tiredly. I was not in a mood to hear scolding from a painting, just when safety was on the other side of it.

"Especially you Ms. Evans. At this hour-"

"Apple Tarts." We both snapped at her.

"There's no need to yell" she huffed. "I heard you the first time. Honestly, children these days..."

The common room was thankfully empty and I dared to hope that today's adventures were finally over. Only problem was that the itching was getting worse. Not to mention there were these ugly finger marks above my elbow.

"It doesn't look too good." Potter looked at my scratched arms. "I have something for it in the room. Let's go."

"No, thank you. I'll handle it myself." I dismissed him automatically.

"Sometimes I wonder why I even bother." He picked my hand and raised it in the air. The glow from the fireplace illuminated the angry dark red marks. "This," He said, shaking my hand up and down. "Will only get worse. It happened to me and the mates more than once. I can guarantee you full recovery by the morning if you'll put the stuff I'll give you. If you don't like the result, I give you permission to aim whichever curse you want at me."

"Hey look, Moony. We're just in time for the marriage proposal."

Potter hastily released my hand.

Black strode from the stairwell and clapped Potter on the back. Then immediately wiped his hand on his pants. "And where have you been to, you two naughty kids?"

Remus stopped by my side and looked down at my arms. "Does it itch?"

"Feels like ants crawling under my skin." I admitted.

He tsked and gently raised the hand Potter dropped to his eye level. "If you want, we have this unnamed lotion that will help. Works like magic. For personal reasons we don't let it out of the room, so if you won't mind to come up for a couple of minutes, it'll be fast and painless and you'll feel all better in the morning."

"I already tried, Moony. She doesn't-"

I shrugged. "Sure."

Potter's mouth closed in a snap. He turned to Black. "I just asked her the same thing thirty seconds ago."

"There are two possible answers why Evans would agree to follow this particular Marauder." Black started confidently.

I rolled my eyes at Remus as he smiled amusingly back. We started to climb the stairs. Behind us, Black continued his theory.

"One, Evans has a crush on Remus."

I looked behind my shoulder. Potter looked doubtful at the first conclusion.

"And the second?"

"I'm sorry to say this, Prongs." Black put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him sympathetically. "But Moony is just better than you at handling girls."

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><p><strong>AN: So sorry it took so long, but there was so much going on (mostly studies) that I couldn't seem to finish this one chapter.**

**Anyway, THANK YOU so much for all the reviews!**

**Hopefully next chapter will be finished faster.**

**Please Review!**

**Ps. If I skipped some error, let me know, ok? :)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize.**


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